Path Worldwide is a new creative agency founded by Ben Stobart and Philip Slade that takes a holistic approach to understanding shopper behavior and unlocking value throughout the customer journey. The agency uses multi-disciplinary teams to develop innovative ideas and solutions that engage customers in an omnichannel world, as shown through their work with clients in industries like retail, toys, and luxury goods. Examples of projects include helping a major retailer build new owned brands, reconnecting an iconic toy brand with families, and refining brand messaging for a famous champagne company.

1. A new kind of creative
agency focused on
unlocking value in
shopper behaviour

2. Ben Stobart & Philip Slade would like
to introduce their new agency; Path Worldwide
2

3. 3
Founders Ben Stobart and Philip Slade both have award winning
backgrounds in international shopper marketing.
They formed Path as they
believed an Omni-channel
world demands a new
approach to unlocking value
in the path to purchase.
About Path

4. We clear crowded paths
for legacy brands
We build new paths for
brand launches and new
audience segments
We shorten existing
paths for brands with
disjointed digital
strategies
Method
“Engaging customers today requires a
redefined marketing organisation”
McKinsey Quarterly 2014.
4
We are championing a
creative hot house model
using multi-discipline
creatives in groups of six
to create the type of
innovative ideas needed
to make the most of the
changes in shopper
behaviours.

5. 5
“Companies must now be designing the entire
story of how individuals encounter a brand, and
the steps they take to evaluate, purchase and relate
to it across the decision journey”
McKinsey Global Institute 2013
Recent Work

6. Own Brands
Building new paths
We have been appointed to
help the UK’s largest retailer
build a portfolio of powerful
owned brands.
Our work ranges from
brand TV to digital
innovations.
6

7. We’veonlyevermadeonething,toys.
Toysthatstretchtheimaginationandopenupnewpossibilitiesfor
creativity&invention.
Greattoysthatarethelaunchingpadforpure,uncomplicatedfun.
We believe that no matter what the toy, no matter how much it
costs, a great toy should invite the owner to make up her own
stories.
In this increasingly processed world, we believe it’s time for more
‘openplay’.
It’stimefortoysthattakeittothegardenaswellasthelivingroom.
It’s time for toys that encourage children to explore uncharted
territory.
It’stimetofanthesparksoforiginalityandcuriosity.
It’stimetofeedthefiresofexperimentandadventure.
It’stimetokeepalightthesacredflameofchildhood.
It’stimetoplay.
Time to Play
Re-establishing purpose
One of the UK’s most
iconic toy brands needed
to reconnect with
families
We re-established core
credentials of open play
and helped mum find
ever more fun ways to
engage in imaginative
activities with her
children
7

8. 8
Modern Discernment
Clearing a crowded path
Refining brand pillars and
product messaging for
one of the world’s
favourite champagnes
We spent 4 months
investigating the luxury
drinks market in the UK
We interviewed key stake
holders, trade influencers
and tracked drinking
habits from boutique
festivals to 5★ star hotels

9. CONTEXT
ghd : Retail base of stylish
independent beauty salons.
These are owner-managed
business’s with their own ideas
about promotion.
ghd marketing collateral is
centrally produced guided by
leading figures in the beauty
industry
ISSUE
There was a lack of clarity on the true
nature of the shopper path.
As such there was no real view on the
appropriateness or effectiveness of in-store
communications.
Sales team data and social chatter only
gave part of the answer
THE BRIEF
We needed to know
more than just whether
the POS was being put
up. We needed to know
how people shopped
the products and how
consumers interacted
with salon staff
SOLUTION
We recruited student fashionistas
with strong views on personal
image. These recruits mystery
shopped over 100 stores in six
major UK cities. Recording their
experiences with photos and
words.
We correlated the findings with
existing sales data and social
media Geo activity
9

10. 11
3
10
8
9
6
11
6
12
13
9
9
9
3
8
10
9
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Birmingham
(n=16)
Croydon
(n=6)
Glasgow
(n=19)
Newcastle
(n=16)
NoCng
Hill
(n=20)
Sheffield
(n=17)
Number
of
salons
that
scored
‘achieved’
Addi7onal
informa7on
on
GHD
(n=94)
Did
staff
give
any
addiJonal,
unprompted
informaJon
about
the
ghd
range
or
promoJon?
Did
the
staff
member
ask
if
there
was
anything
else
you
required?
65%
71%
68%
58%
74%
65%
54%
Average (n=94)
Birmingham (n=16)
Croydon (n=6)
Glasgow (n=19)
Newcastle (n=16)
Notting Hill (n=20)
Sheffield (n=17)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Cities
Total average overall score (%)
The total average of the overall score by city (n=94)
1
1
0
2
0
4
4
8
10
9
3
11
6
10
11
11
5
12
14
17
16
12
5
13
0
5
10
15
20
Sheffield
(n=17)
NoCng
Hill
(n=20)
Newcastle
(n=16)
Glasgow
(n=19)
Croydon
(n=6)
Birmingham
(n=16)
Number
of
salons
that
scored
‘achieved’
Availability
and
quality
of
GHD
product
display
(n=94)
Were
any
ghd
products
on
show
in
the
salon?
Of
the
ghd
products
you
could
see,
were
they:
in
clear
view?
16
4
15
15
16
11
15
6
19
14
17
14
15
6
16
16
14
11
15
6
16
16
19
13
14
6
19
16
19
15
16
5
17
16
20
16
15
4
10
13
13
10
9
3
7
12
8
7
0
5
10
15
20
25
Birmingham
n=16)
Croydon
(n=6)
Glasgow
(n=19)
Newcastle
(n=16)
NoCng
Hill
(n=20)
Sheffield
(n=17)
Number
of
salons
that
scored
‘achieved’
Compara7ve
score
on
key
aEributes
(n=94)
Q1.1a
Q1.1b
Q1.1c
Q1.1d
Q1.1e
Q1.1f
90
56
59
83
4
38
35
11
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Was
the
salon
clean,
Jdy
and
liXer
free?
Did
you
see
any
evidence
this
store
was
adverJsing
or
promoJng
GHD?
Were
any
posters
/
adverts
up-­‐to-­‐date
and
neat?
Were
displays
clean
Jdy
and
well
presented?
Number
of
salons
Presenta7on
of
the
salon
(n=94)
No
Yes
RESULTS
A clear understanding of the ghd
shoppers path to purchase
We found striking regional differences
in store that had a relationship to
social media and ultimately sales
success.
We found store manager and key
staff more pivotal than printed
collateral to fuelling social media
chatter
NEXT STEPS
A refocus on creating seamless
messaging that forms a continuous
loop of contact with salon owners
Reconsidering relevance of industry
norm touch points
10

11. www.PathWW.com
Ben Stobart
+44 7557 443789
Philip Slade
+44 7956 685615