MacCallum House Inn & Restaurant

Team Members: Publicist Jude Lutge, Marketer Julie Vetter and Graphic Designer Shona Freidman

When new owners Jed and Meghan Ayers and their partner Noah Sheppard took over the under-performing MacCallum House in Mendocino, California, they wanted to invest in a team to develop a multi-faceted brand and marketing strategy, including special events promotion, local write-ups, and Web site optimization for publicity and press.

To set the stage for this new marketing campaign, Shona developed a look and feel for the Web and print communications which convey the sophistication and style woven throughout the MacCallum House experience. These pieces include a full-scale Web site, brochures, menus and advertising, newsletters, and internet promotions which all convey a consistent message of the attention to detail that establishes confidence.

For marketing, the use of targeted, seasonal, eblast newsletters with clever marketing ideas that tie into current events has resulted in record reservations. These promotions are linked to the Web site to further leverage the marketing value. The newsletters have a very high open rate (average 33.6% Open rate and 22.6% click through rate) as well as a large number of forwards. An ongoing, strategic publicity campaign has secured articles in food magazines from Chocolatier to Plate and travel magazines from Sunset to Coastal Living. Wine Spectator followed with its review:

“Everything considered – atmosphere, food, wine – MacCallum House gets the nod as the area’s best restaurant.”

In fact, through careful brand development on the part of Jude, Julie and Shona, MacCallum House has risen to the top of the competitive fine dining scene on the Mendocino Coast, culminating in the restaurant “Oscar” of a terrific New York Times review:

“There is no better place to spend an entire evening than the MacCallum House.” NY Times

“I don’t know if we would be on the map without the dedication and talent of the Branding Salon team. They are a huge part of our ongoing success and I would not want to launch a venture without their being on board.”
Executive Chef Alan Kantor (former owner)