Buck Naked Kitchen – A New Brand, Structure, and Partnership


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Kirsten Buck, the creator, recipe developer, and author behind Buck Naked Kitchen did not always have the best relationship with food. For years, food was not something to be enjoyed but rather served as a crutch or merely means of survival. After moving out of her parents’ house, she started spending more time in the kitchen and began to discover foods that energized her. Wanting to hold herself accountable, Kirsten started a social media page and blog, Buck Naked Kitchen, in hopes to break patterns of disordered or binge-eating and all the mental and physical effects that came with it. 

Years later, Kirsten focuses on creating dishes that are full of nutrients and colour that fill her with energy. She has been able to find a balance between eating foods that will nourish her while also holding onto the many comfort foods she truly loves. She uses her platform to share her own experiences, challenges, and recipes in hopes to help others realize that food – full of juices, flavours, and nostalgia – is meant to be celebrated. 

In April 2020, Kirsten released her own Buck Naked Kitchen cookbook after over two years in the making. This book is full of everyday recipes that are true to Kirsten and remind her of the way she cooks at home with her family and friends.

 

Photos by Pauline Boldt.

The Challenge

When Kirsten started her blog, she had no idea what it would amount to today. Her brand was built around her openness and genuinity online, making complete strangers everywhere feel connected to her. Now years later with a cookbook, a blog, and nearly 100,000 people following along on Instagram, she wanted to give more definition to her brand. This is where we came in. 

When Kirsten first joined us in our studio, she knew a few things: she wanted to define the Buck Naked Kitchen brand, she wanted a strategy for her social media marketing, and eventually a new website. She also wanted to ensure her new brand, both in look and feel, represented more about herself and her roots – which is exactly what we did.

The Process

The first stages of the process started with developing the new look of the Buck Naked Kitchen brand. After many conversations with Kirsten, our team was able to bring her vision to life with a vibrant, playful brand that was inspired by Kirsten’s First Nations background. Her colour palette is deeply inspired by the Cree Medicine Wheel, while the hand-drawn icons represent the natural, nutritious, and whole foods that inspire her to create. Within her logo, the woman figure wears her ribbon skirt as she gathers her ingredients from the earth. 

While working on the look of her branding, our team also got started on a business strategy document which gave added planning and structure to her digital presence online. The strategy document was focused on providing a structure for her organic social media content as she began to start adding in more personal content streams such as lifestyle, mental health, and home-related posts. We developed a content-bucket strategy, which provided a framework of how to integrate other types of content within her regular food and recipe posts while remaining on-brand to her niche. The document also outlined a marketing plan and growth strategy involving a new website, a digital marketing plan, and eventually a second book.

The Bigger Picture

As our relationship has developed with Kirsten, we have moved into more of a consultant role, acting as her agent and assisting in managing partnerships, negotiating contracts, and developing content. 

With Kirsten, our consulting role first started with an outreach strategy for business development. Our team strategized potential partnerships and content ideas and was able to connect Kirsten with brands who wanted to work with her on these campaigns. We also handled all incoming partnership requests including proposal writing, negotiations, contracts, and eventually the execution and reporting of all relationships. Through this outreach strategy, our team was able to connect Kirsten with like-minded brands such as Ikea, KitchenAid, Thermomix, and more. 

Lastly, we worked with Kirsten to capture professional portraits in our studio to be used on her website, social media, and media kit. Our goal was to capture Kirsten in an authentic light, just as the way she presents herself online.