The Springdale Beer line from sister company Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers did not have a strong identity to start.
”It was a hodgepodge of borrowed elements with doses of good design,” admitted Rob Day, Senior Director of Marketing. “When we thought about Springdale we saw this fun, vibrant, engaging brand made for our community.”
That meant a branding refresh was in order and the brewery went forward with the plan in 2020. It meant upfront planning from the company and Day shared some insights to Brewer on how that look changed.
”The new look brings that to life graphically (fun, vibrant, and engaging),” he said. “The format is unique to us, the canvas allows us to create impactful art and we’re able to express more of what is in the can and in the company.”
Day believes — along with the entire company — that Springdale speaks to a broad consumer and can help grow enthusiasm for craft beer.
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“That is our mission,” he said, adding that they — and any craft beer maker — have the widest base of potential consumers in the history of craft beer. “That’s both a blessing and a challenge.
“We make a wide range of fermentation forward beers and then we try to find fun and interesting ways to educate our community and potential fans. We’ll continue to experiment in the beer-making process and how we bring that to consumers.”
Here’s how Springdale — which won a Crushie for its new look at the 2021 Craft Beer Marketing Awards — found ways to strategize for its new look.
Plan Who It’s For
All refresh and rebranding decisions should start with the consumer -—and this switch was no exception for Springdale, Day said.
“If your customers are not saying back to you what you think you are putting out, then there is a disconnect in your communication and it needs to be reviewed,” he said. “We were feeling that way in early 2019 and as we looked into it, the refresh was obviously needed.
“Springdale is a newer brand and came about pretty organically, so there weren’t really any additional steps before we started the process -—just a simple realization that we weren’t communicating the full message of the brand.”
Fresh Eyes
The new ideas came from a variety of sources, Day said, gathering data and insights from customers, internally as a staff, and finally working with a design firm. Working with Anthem Branding was the final step in the creation.
“Pooling these three sources of information and molding it into a uniform direction was the key,” Day said. “Using an outside voice in the process is a smart way to get an honest evaluation along with some ideas outside of your own wheelhouse.”
Plan the Timing
Step one was to wind down inventory and timing the transition.
”That minimizes the excess,” Day pointed out, noting the brewery did some giveaways and rewards to the fans who have been with them the longest.
Finally, they could donate goods to local shelters and facilities as needed.
”It’s never an easy process, but our goal is to reduce waste and get value out of the things we produce,” Day said.
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