Marketing Case Study
Sterling Group of Hotels
From the identity of a single boutique lodge to a growing hospitality group, Kakic Universe worked with Sterling from 2019 to 2025 to shape how the brand looked, communicated and showed up online. Across branding, digital platforms, content and launch coverage, we helped build a connected presence for the group and its properties.
Project Snapshot
Project Snapshot
A six-year creative and digital partnership that evolved alongside Sterling’s growth.
Overview
Overview
Our relationship with Sterling began in 2019 with Sterling Boutique Lodge, when Kakic Universe developed the logo for what was then a single hospitality property. As Sterling expanded and acquired additional units, the business evolved into Sterling Group of Hotels and our role grew with it. We developed the group identity, created digital touchpoints for individual properties, built a website to present the portfolio and its updates, managed social media, produced ongoing content, and covered key brand moments including official launches. The work helped ensure that the group’s expansion was matched by a more cohesive, visible and professional brand presence.
Gallery
Gallery
A look at the brand, digital and content work produced across the Sterling portfolio.
The Opportunity
The Opportunity
The challenge was not simply to market individual properties. As the business moved from one lodge to a multi-property group, its brand needed to evolve without losing the recognition already being built. Each unit needed its own discoverable digital presence, while the group itself needed a clear identity and a central platform that could connect the portfolio. This made consistency, visibility and adaptability central to the work.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our approach evolved with the business, combining brand development, digital infrastructure and consistent content support.
Grow With the Brand
We treated the relationship as an evolving partnership, adapting the creative and digital work as Sterling moved from a single property into a group structure.
Build a Cohesive Identity
We created the original Sterling Boutique Lodge logo and later developed the Sterling Group of Hotels identity, giving the expanding business a clear visual foundation.
Make Every Property Discoverable
We established social media accounts for individual units and developed ongoing content so each property could be found, understood and promoted online.
Create a Central Digital Home
We built the group’s website to showcase its properties, communicate updates and give audiences a single place to explore the wider Sterling portfolio.
Support Key Brand Moments
We provided media coverage for important milestones, including the official launch and handover ceremony for The Sterling Bulawayo Hotel.
Maintain Consistency
Across years of social media management and content production, we focused on keeping the group’s communication active, polished and aligned as the business evolved.
What We Delivered
What We Delivered
A multi-year mix of brand, digital and content work designed to support Sterling at each stage of its growth.
Brand Identity Development
Logo development for Sterling Boutique Lodge, followed by the Sterling Group of Hotels identity as the business expanded.
Website Design & Digital Presence
A group website built to showcase the hotel portfolio, provide updates and give the growing business a central online home.
Social Media Setup
Creation of social media accounts for individual Sterling units so each property could establish its own discoverable online presence.
Ongoing Social Media Management
Ongoing management of social channels to keep communication consistent, active and aligned with each property and the wider group.
Content Creation
Regular creative content supporting property visibility, hospitality offerings, updates and the broader Sterling brand.
Photography & Event Coverage
Media coverage for major brand moments, including the official launch and handover ceremony for The Sterling Bulawayo Hotel.
Production Highlight
Production Highlight
The partnership spanned several phases of Sterling’s growth. A major production consideration was maintaining continuity while adapting the brand for a larger group structure. Work moved between brand design, property-level social content, website updates and event coverage, requiring a flexible approach that could support both everyday marketing and milestone moments. The official launch and handover ceremony for The Sterling Bulawayo Hotel was one such milestone, combining on-the-ground media coverage with the broader digital presence already being managed.
Results
Results
Between 2019 and 2025, the work helped Sterling progress from the digital identity of a single boutique lodge to a more connected hospitality group with a recognisable brand, dedicated online presence for its properties and a central website for the portfolio. Consistent content and social media management kept the brand active between major milestones, while launch and event coverage strengthened its content library and supported visibility during expansion. The partnership concluded in 2025 after supporting a significant period in the group’s brand and digital development.
Visual Showcase
Visual Showcase
Selected visuals from six years of branding, content, digital and event work.
Featured Videos
Content & Design
Reels
Inside This Project
Mini Case Studies
Explore selected launches, property work and campaigns delivered during our 2019–2025 partnership with Sterling Group of Hotels.
Services Used
Services Used
Brand, digital and content capabilities brought together across a long-term hospitality partnership.
Build a Brand Ready for Growth
Whether you are launching a new business, expanding your services or bringing multiple locations under one brand, we provide the strategy, design, content and digital platforms needed to create a consistent and credible presence.
