FORT WORTH,Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For almost five years, Little Muffincakes® has sought to ensure that parents of color can find products for their children that feature illustrations of children that look like they do. It is a simple mission undertaken by founder Debra Raney, and an essential one.
“As a mother and grandmother, I am aware of how important it is that our children see positive and encouraging images that look like them,” Raney said. “When my twin daughters and son were growing up, it was so difficult finding characters and products that were made with them in mind.”
Raney’s company, Little Muffincakes, was born out of this difficulty. To fulfill the company mission to provide high-quality, inclusive merchandise with unique character art that reflects the diversity and beauty in children, Little Muffincakes designs and sells items from apparel to paper products and room décor all featuring diverse imagery.
Little Muffincakes products provide value outside of their functional purpose by helping parents of color reinforce the self-esteem and beauty of their children, especially Black children. But even the greatest products cannot reach their full potential unless consumers know about them.
Enter Agency Habitat, a team of digital media experts with a long history of branding, marketing and social content creation. Raney initially sought help from Agency Habitat with Little Muffincakes’ social media efforts — but as an agency, they knew their expertise could do so much more for Little Muffincakes. Together, Raney and Agency Habitat worked together to make sure the brand image was as powerful as the brand story. The creative has since won local and national awards.
“Debra and her business captivated the Agency Habitat team,” said Lindsay Hendon, Agency Habitat’s Vice President of Operations. “There was no question that her mission deserved a full-service experience to help her get to the next level more quickly.”
Agency Habitat saw that Raney had an inspiring vision and the right products. The key would be getting that idea and those products in front of potential customers with an elevated style and a consistent, impactful message. With that goal in mind, the Agency Habitat team provided Raney with a redesigned logo, photo and video shoot, and detailed social media/brand guidelines. Their mission was to help elevate the Little Muffincakes brand and provide it with a new image that matched Raney’s creativity and hopes.
“We are a small business with big dreams,” Raney said. “With everything Agency Habitat was able to do for us, we are well on our way to becoming a big business whose roots remain firmly planted in the cause of social justice and empowerment. Our rebranding not only caught the eye of new customers, but it also got us a critical new outlet for our product line.”
Little Muffincakes products can now be found on the Little Muffincakes’ site as well as a growing list of online national retailers, opening the company to a larger universe of potential customers.
“Agency Habitat was interested in why I started Little Muffincakes,” Raney said. “They wanted to listen to me and had all these fresh ideas, helping develop a vision for me to make my brand better. They helped address my social media, making our presence more cohesive. When firms like Agency Habitat work with brands like us, they can get a sense of pride about helping to elevate a small brand and directly see their impact.”
“We feel so fortunate for the opportunity to work with Debra and Little Muffincakes,” said Lauren Coleman, Agency Habitat’s Vice President of Creative Services. “Her passion and purpose inspired our entire team. To see her boutique brand continue to gain national attention is a joy to us all. I’d encourage all agencies to find the time and resources to help small businesses that have amazing potential. Who knows? The next big brand could already be growing in your own backyard.”
About Agency Habitat
Agency Habitat is a next generation branding agency that specializes in helping brands succeed in a world powered by new media. Located in Fort Worth, Agency Habitat has been in business since 1973. Guided by the leadership of President and CEO Neil Foster, the agency equips clients with strategically sound yet innovative creative work that keeps brands’ identities clear and their goals in focus. Voted one of the 2021 Best Companies to Work For by Fort Worth Inc., Agency Habitat is committed to excellence in its work for clients and its culture for team members. For more information, visit agencyhabitat.com.
ABOUT LITTLE MUFFINCAKES®: Little Muffincakes® believes that representation matters from birth. The company mission is to provide high-quality, inclusive merchandise with unique character art that reflects the diversity and beauty in children. For more information, or to shop online, visit littlemuffincakes.com.
