Designing a Credible Brand Extension
C.O. Bigelow
Strategic concept developed as part of graduate coursework.
This work felt real from the beginning. I spent years working in the cosmetics and personal care category, including formulating and using a cuticle oil pen while at Wholesale Supplies Plus. The product logic, customer behavior, and constraints were familiar.
The task was to design a nail care extension that fit naturally within C.O. Bigelow’s brand, pricing, and distribution realities.
CONTEXT
C.O. Bigelow is a heritage apothecary brand associated with efficacy, ritual, and trusted night-repair products. The brand held strong equity in lip care, supported by repeat use and simple routines.
In nail care, retail shelves skewed toward novelty and impulse-driven products. Color, scent, and trend-led packaging dominated, while credible repair and maintenance options were limited. For customers who valued efficacy and routine, the category lacked clear authority.
That gap aligned closely with C.O. Bigelow’s existing role in customers’ nightly routines.
THE PROBLEM
Any brand extension into nail care risked feeling generic or disconnected from what made C.O. Bigelow trusted. Price sensitivity in the category added another constraint, particularly for a single-item purchase without a clear ritual tie-in.
The product needed to feel familiar, useful, and justified within the customer’s existing routine.
STRATEGIC DECISIONS
Anchored the product in C.O. Bigelow’s night-repair ritual, aligning nail care with an established use moment rather than introducing a new habit.
Positioned the product around repair and maintenance, matching customer expectations for apothecary efficacy.
Selected a pen-based cuticle oil format to reinforce precision, treatment, and control.
Set pricing with bundle logic as the primary growth driver, recognizing resistance to a standalone nail product at a premium price point.
Focused distribution on existing trusted channels, including Bath & Body Works, Amazon, and Bigelow’s DTC site.
EXECUTION
The concept became No. 309 Overnight Cuticle Repair Oil, designed to live alongside My Favorite Night Balm as part of a simple nightly routine.
The go-to-market strategy centered on the Night Repair Duo, which reduced price friction and increased average order value without discounting. Messaging emphasized overnight repair, fragrance-free formulation, and apothecary credibility.
Channel selection reflected where customers already purchased and trusted the brand.
OUTCOMES
The final strategy produced a coherent path for entering nail care without diluting brand equity. Pricing, bundling, and distribution followed naturally from the role of the product within the nightly routine.
The work demonstrated how brand strategy can simplify marketing decisions by establishing clear product purpose early.
BRAND STRATEGY APPROACH
I start with existing brand equity and customer behavior. I ground product decisions in real use patterns and pricing constraints. I let brand logic determine how marketing takes shape.
This is the type of upstream brand work I want to continue doing.