Thunderbird Station, Single Wide + Double Wide

THE OPPORTUNITY

Bar owner Kim Finch came to CultureHype with established press buzz & a cult-following for two sister trailer-park themed concepts, Double Wide & Single Wide but enlisted our help launching a third concept in her restaurant family, Thunderbird Station. Housed inside of a vintage gas station, Thunderbird Station offers a nostalgic touch to bar life in the heart of Dallas’ beloved Deep Ellum neighborhood with comfort food dining options like Frito Pies & Sloppy Joe’s & unique signature drink specials like root-beer based cocktails & popsicle-themed drinks. While Kim & her two previous bars had garnered regular media attention & boasted up to 900 attendees at major events like Double Wide’s annual Halloween party, we saw a unique opportunity to strengthen the overall brand by helping it crossover into more mainstream media outlets &, for the first time, truly tell her story as the successful female entrepreneur behind Dallas’ favorite dive bars.

THE DEVELOPMENT

CultureHype wanted to focus on generating brand awareness for Kim as the successful female entrepreneur behind the two iconic bars with long-standing history in Deep Ellum - an industry that is usually dominated by men. We were able to convey Kim’s quirky style - a creative mesh of her visual aesthetics, drink creativity, & unique bars to major media outlets like D Magazine, CultureMap Dallas, Dallas Observer & Dallas Eater.

CultureHype conducted photoshoots for Thunderbird Station & Kim to help consumers identify all three of Kim’s brands. We also had numerous press placements for Kim ranging from drink roundups to neighborhood news. In addition to garnering local press attention for all three concepts & Kim herself, we were able to work closely alongside her team to run successful influencer marketing campaigns for seasonal signature drinks, special events & more with regular influencer visits. Our role quickly grew to tackle management of both social media accounts (Double Wide & Single Wide) which included regular content creation & diving deep into the iconic bars’ fun, cheeky brand voice that her customers loved so dearly.

“I started working with Amber & CultureHype as I started working on my third location. I knew I wanted to ramp up awareness & social media presence of my first two businesses, Double Wide & Single Wide so it would help the launch of the new kiddo Thunderbird Station. I was extremely happy with the amount of press & social buzz they had brought to the businesses. As I got deeper into the construction & opening process of Thunderbird, I knew I was going to need to take some things off my plate. The ladies of CultureHype were right there for me & jumped in with eagerness & the fun attitude my brand requires to help me with running our social media.

They were able to come to the sites & capture great content. We worked together very well on nailing our voice & staying on brand. We are not your average conservative establishments & I love that these ladies were willing to push the boundaries, think outside the box, & go exactly where we are used to going. ”

— Kim Finch, Owner

ADAPTING TO CIRCUMSTANCES + THE RESULTS

Like many establishments, all three local businesses were drastically affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Once COVID hit, CultureHype quickly learned how to adapt to changing consumer media habits & preferences by serving in a time of crisis.

In addition to managing & adapting social copy for Kim’s bars Double Wide & Single Wide, CultureHype helped Kim navigate the closing of both of her sister concepts & the imminent delay of the Thunderbird Station grand opening. Our team helped her brands stay top of mind with local placements highlighting an innovative COVID-friendly empty concert series called QuaranTV, positioning her as a thought leader in the food and beverage space during the pandemic & helping garner attention for a very on-brand drive through Git-N-Go market.

CultureHype successfully highlighted Kim’s success along with the unique stories behind each of her concepts through our campaign. In addition to numerous press placements, CultureHype was able to successfully manage & increase engagement on Double Wide & Single Wide’s social media platforms in the height of the crisis through authentically marketing through the already existing brand voices.