Yarrow
New audience. New brand. New product.
The Idea:
Reach the next generation with a new approach to Bible study.
The Result:
A new Bible study brand, product line, and mobile app launched from within a 50-year-old organization.
As an embedded coach and strategic consultant, I supported the organization and senior leadership team over several years as they moved from dream through concepting, development, and launch of the Yarrow brand and product. This next-generation imprint aimed to reach a new and younger audience without compromising on the ministry’s core approach to Bible study.
Vision-Casting and Preparation
While the project had the full support of the leadership, they knew they needed help to break out of old mindsets and envision a new future. By embedding with various teams and working closely with senior leaders across the organization, I advised the organization through research, vision-casting, and strategic, programmatic pruning. Through this crucial first phase, I helped them refocus on their mission, let go of distractions, and begin articulating their dreams for the future.
Building and Development
With a clarified vision and streamlined program docket, the team engaged a brand agency and mobile app design agency to work through product and brand conceptualization. At this time, the organization asked me to step into formal leadership of the program, providing oversight and guidance to their senior leadership and project leads. Over the next year, I coached the senior leadership team, led a business design initiative, and oversaw the project management and staffing changes of the Yarrow program. Together, we created and staffed a new department, managed several high-visibility retirements, framed new print and digital products, and hosted the organization’s second most successful fundraising event ever, basing the ask on this initiative. Throughout the building and development phase, the team gained a new mindset, ventured into distribution with Amazon, and established a new approach to print and digital production.
Launch and Growth
Within the first year, two complete study series, a collection of branded merch, and a mobile app were launched. Within 15 months of launch, thousands of new products were sold, and the app had nearly 10,000 downloads.
Beyond the bottom line, the team established a new product development focus, with processes in place to facilitate product development going forward. The project fostered collaboration across functional areas and Marketing, Technology, and Product became co-laborers in this effort. The project also enriched the leadership skills of multiple managers. At the end of the assignment, the team was well positioned to achieve its new strategic focus of serving a new generation of young active faith Christians.
“The development of Yarrow was a large undertaking. It required shifts in how we operated, how we thought, and how we communicated. Pearlina provided actionable areas to focus on and helped the team not get sidetracked and overwhelmed by all of the decisions that needed to be made.
Yarrow is a vibrant product that continues to grow in the market because of Pearlina’s groundwork and mentorship of our team.”
— Christina Hamby, SVP Marketing