Earlier this year, my team at the Harrington Social Media Agency was approached by The Coast Guard House, a well known seafood restaurant in the Narragansett Pier. The restaurant had a goal to further modernize its social media presence and expand its appeal to a younger audience, specifically Gen Z consumers. While Coast Guard House already has a strong reputation, its digital presence did not fully communicate the key details that make the destination unique.
As the lead strategist and producer for this project, I was responsible for every stage of the rebrand process, including audience research/brand positioning, creative direction, production, post production, and content delivery.
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Research Stage
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Like all great projects, research is always the first step! I started my work by creating a research document designed to identity Coast Guard House's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and areas for growth. I evaluated the restaurant's existing social media presence, visual identity, content themes, audience engagement patterns, and overall brand positioning.
To better understand the competitive landscape, I conducted comparative research on several successful restaurants and hospitality brands in the Rhode Island area, analyzing their content strategies, visual styles, audience interactions, and posting habits. This research helped establish a clear understanding of what Gen Z users respond to and how Coast Guard House could differentiate itself within a crowded hospitality market.
Strategic Insights & Brand Comparison
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After completing the research phase, I translated the findings into a clear strategic direction for the brand. A major insight was that Gen Z audiences are increasingly drawn to authenticity, nostalgia, storytelling, and experiences rather than traditional promotional restaurant content.`Through my analysis, I identified an opportunity for Coast Guard House to lean more heavily into its unique historical significance and coastal identity.
I developed a brand positioning strategy centered around transforming Coast Guard House from a simple restaurant into a go-to destination. The recommended content approach emphasized authentic moments, and nostalgic storytelling. Rather than producing overly polished advertising content, my strategy focused on creating content that felt organic and memorable.
Campaign Development
After my initial research, I developed a content proposal that included two primary campaigns: one for experiential content, and one for aesthetic content. The first campaign focused on showcasing the experience of visiting the Coast Guard House, capturing moments like gathering with friends and enjoying the coastal atmosphere. The second focused on creating cinematic shareable content that aligned with Gen Z's visual preferences.
Pre-Production Shotlists
Following campaign approval, I moved into the pre-production phase which included building comprehensive shot lists for both the experiential and aesthetic campaigns and establishing visual references to guide production. Every planned image and video was intentionally selected to support the overall brand narrative, and the planning process ensured that production remained highly focused and that every asset captured would directly contribute to the final content strategy.
See more of the shot list:
Production Leadership & Content Creation
Finally, I led the production of the Coast Guard House content shoot alongside three of my fellow social media interns from the Harrington School. As creative lead and director, I was responsible for overseeing execution, managing the team, directing shot composition, coordinating content capture, and ensuring consistency with the approved brand vision.
After production was completed, I led the entire post-production process, editing all photo and video assets with color grading, transitions, and overall visual effects. The final content package that was sent to the team at Coast Guard House included a range of assets optimized for social media platforms, including photography, short form video content, and copyediting. Here are some of my favorite pieces from the project:
