Hatfield

Master Brand Development

Overview

Hatfield was one of the largest new-business opportunities in Donovan's history, representing approximately $4 million in agency revenue.

As part of a two-week competitive pitch process, I led development of the brand positioning strategy, messaging platform, social content framework, and campaign concepts presented to Hatfield's senior leadership team.

The work centered on identifying a differentiated brand territory that competitors weren't addressing, ultimately resulting in the creation of the "Hatfield. Good Call." platform.

The strategy was selected by the client and became the foundation for Hatfield's future marketing efforts across brand, social, retail, and sponsorship channels.

Goals

  • Win one of the largest accounts in Donovan's history

  • Differentiate Hatfield from larger pork competitors

  • Develop a long-term brand platform capable of scaling across channels

  • Create a positioning rooted in consumer behavior rather than product claims

  • Establish a social strategy that could support years of content development

Challenge

Hatfield operated in a category where most competitors communicated through product attributes, flavor claims, heritage stories, and cooking convenience.

Research revealed a deeper opportunity.

The target consumer wasn't struggling to understand pork. She was struggling to feel confident in her dinner decisions.

Every meal represented another choice in a day already filled with decisions. While competitors focused on talking about pork, no brand was helping consumers navigate the pressure that surrounded mealtime itself.

Complicating matters further, the entire strategic platform, creative territory, social framework, and presentation had to be developed within a two-week timeline.

Strategic Opportunity

Our research identified a key emotional tension:

Hannah isn't looking for perfection. She's looking for confidence in the decisions she makes for her family.

This insight reframed the role Hatfield could play.

Instead of competing on product benefits alone, Hatfield could become the brand that reassures consumers they made the right choice.

That territory was largely unoccupied within the category, creating a clear opportunity for differentiation.

The Solution

Creating "Hatfield. Good Call."

I developed the "Hatfield. Good Call." platform as a simple expression of reassurance.

The concept transformed Hatfield from a pork brand into a confidence-building brand.

Rather than talking about ingredients, flavor profiles, or preparation methods, the platform validated the consumer's decision in the moment it mattered most.

The strategy positioned Hatfield as:

The choice that consistently reassures consumers they made the right decision, turning everyday dinners into small but meaningful wins.

This allowed Hatfield to occupy a distinct emotional space while competitors continued focusing primarily on products and category messaging.

Building the Brand Ecosystem

To ensure the positioning could scale beyond a tagline, I developed a supporting content architecture designed to guide future marketing efforts.

Meals She Can Count On

Recipe-focused content demonstrating simple, reliable meal solutions.

Feel Good About It

Modern wellness content reinforcing quality, nutrition, and family confidence.

The Truth on Pork

Educational content designed to remove hesitation and challenge outdated perceptions about pork.

Together, these pillars translated the brand strategy into a sustainable content system capable of supporting organic social, paid media, seasonal campaigns, retail activations, and sponsorships.

Creative Development

To demonstrate how the platform could come to life, I also helped develop creative applications spanning:

  • Social media

  • Programmatic display

  • Phillies sponsorship assets

  • Stadium signage

  • Ribbon board activations

  • Retail messaging

Each execution followed a simple strategic formula:

Brand + Product + Benefit

ensuring every touchpoint reinforced the core promise behind "Good Call."

My Role

  • Led brand positioning strategy development

  • Developed core consumer insight and messaging framework

  • Created the "Hatfield. Good Call." platform

  • Developed alternative positioning territories

  • Built the social content pillar architecture

  • Created messaging strategy and voice framework

  • Contributed to creative concept development

  • Presented strategic recommendations to senior leadership

Results

Business Outcome

  • Donovan won the Hatfield account

  • The client selected the "Hatfield. Good Call." platform as the recommended strategic direction

  • The positioning became the foundation for future brand and social marketing efforts

  • Helped secure one of the largest new-business wins in agency history

Strategic Outcome

The project demonstrated how consumer insight can create differentiation in a highly competitive category.

By shifting the conversation from pork products to consumer confidence, Hatfield gained an ownable positioning platform capable of extending across campaigns, content, sponsorships, retail activations, and future brand initiatives.

Takeway

This project represents the most complete example of my strategic capabilities as a writer and brand thinker.

In a compressed two-week timeline, I helped transform research and category analysis into a fully realized brand platform, complete with positioning, messaging, social strategy, and creative applications.

More importantly, it demonstrated my ability to move beyond executional copywriting and develop the strategic foundations that creative work is built upon.