Thorns Design Research

This week we are beginning a three-week-long project of designing a business card and letterhead for an organization of our choosing. I chose Thorn Originals as my client because it’s my mothers small business, and as such I have grown up surrounded by it. As I learn more things in my PR, advertising, and marketing classes I am seeing the areas where Thorns could use some help. I think this assignment and maybe ones in the future would be the perfect opportunity to assist thorns with its marketing/branding/etc. Thorns currently creates all of its publications on its own, which is a little difficult because no one at the business has that kind of training, they just picked it up along. For this particular assignment, I’m analyzing the state of the current organization’s resources, processes, and values overall.”

 

What is your organization’s mission–the service or product it sells?

A family owned small business that sells unique flower arrangements, gifts, and home décor. The businesses mission is to provide the local and surrounding areas with a place to get beautiful hand selected products and fresh arrangements designed with care.

 

Who are its main competitors?

Thorns is located in Perry, Oklahoma, a town of about only 5,000 people. There is a main business district in Perry, and it wraps around the courthouse park in a square downtown. As such, there are no business identical to Thorns in town but there are some other small businesses that compete for the same customers. LJR is a solely home décor store in town, and there are various antique stores with furniture and décor. As for gift items, there are two drug stores in town and a couple hair shops that have a spread of products, clothing, etc. to be purchased. As for flowers, no other business in town offers them but there are flower shops in the nearby Stillwater area. Also 1-800-flowers.com is becoming a choice some people make over a local flower shop. It is often found that Perry citizens take their business to Stillwater, and this makes it hard for local businesses to compete, like Thorns.

 

What are your organization’s most dominant attitudes and core values?

Thorns values quality over quantity. It values unique styles and trends and it values innovative designs. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are also highly valued by the business. Opinions of customers matter to Thorns and the business always rights its wrongs. The employees working there make up the personality of the business. It’s a small group of ladies aged 25-55 that love people, love being creative, and love making the lives of others better. I see the attitude of the organization as cheerful, passionate, prideful, welcoming, dedicated, open minded, tactful, and as a mix of traditional and innovative.

I would say Thorns differs from its competitors because it is local, it’s a business that has heart, and the employees there always go out of their way to assist customers in any way they can. The arrangements they make are crafted by professionals with the utmost care and with customer happiness in mind. It differs because this business has a face and a personality, and it is approachable- unlike the 1-800 Flowers ordering system which sends you flowers squished in a box, and unlike shops in Stillwater which cater to the masses.