Creating a beer brand with Australian music icons
Role
Brand Positioning
Naming
Identity
Packaging
Web Design
Social Media Strategy
Understand/analyse
Utilising popular figures as brand advocates is a strategy that has existed for over a century, starting with traditional media channels in the 1900s and more recently transitioning online with the emergence of influencers. In the Australian beer market this strategy has been used across both the mainstream and craft categories to try and promote existing brands.
Back in 2021, Pinnacle Drinks approached braincells with a category problem: To solve the decline of mainstream beer across the country. Together, we explored developing a partnership beer brand that could leverage the unique identity of a popular figure as something new and exciting for the category. It wasn’t about finding personalities to advocate for a beer brand, it was about finding personalities that could become a beer brand.
Position
Music and beer have always come hand in hand, whether it’s getting together with mates at a gig, chilling in the backyard or having a few cold ones backstage before a show. So, it only made sense to create a partnership beer brand that could tap into the Australian mainstream through music.
We were excited by Lime Cordiale, the Aussie pop rock band from brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach. Lovers of beer, surfing and mother earth, the boys offered a unique opportunity to create a brand that could connect not only with fans of their music but with the wider community throughout Australia.
BRAND ESSENCE
Consciously refreshing.
Ideate
For a partnership brand to work, it must be authentic. As self-proclaimed ‘long-haired hippies’, Oli and Louis love getting out for a surf and are incredibly passionate about the environment. So, this was the most logical starting point as we developed a brand that could both represent the boys’ unique personalities and stand on its own as one of the few mainstream beer brands that’s carbon neutral.
To ensure the beer was the most authentic representation of Lime Cordiale, we collaborated closely with the boys every step of the way. Louis, who designs all of Lime Cordiale’s album artwork, created several illustrations for the brand to ensure the can reflected their unique art style. Using his illustrations, we developed two final designs, one for Clean Lager and the other for The Dawdler Mid Strength, each showcasing both the surfer lifestyle and carbon
neutral message.
PLAN / Implement
Focused on leveraging the influence of Lime Coridale, we developed a full end to end communication strategy, utilising paid and owned channels across social, digital, in-store, and PR. This strategy was supported with a range of creative assets including a video/photoshoot with the boys as well as branded graphics developed in-house that were rolled out across the website, social, events and other marketing collateral. Two years after the project started, Largo has just been released into the world at BWS, Dan Murphy’s, and Jimmy Brings.