Butcombe Brewing Co.; is a household name from the South West and a heritage brand of beer drinkers everywhere. Fighting for share in a crowded, continuously shifting market, Halo were the chosen partner for the brand’s reinvention.
Extensive market and audience research across the on and off trade showed us just how challenging these times are. Small batch, micro-breweries have eroded the sales of Butcombe’s traditional ‘seasonal beers’, whilst larger challengers in the rich IPA space are tempting traditional Butcombe enthusiasts away from the fold. It’s like being punched from above and below.
Part of the problem was the tired design, coupled with lacklustre copy, but really, it just felt out of touch and from another time. The trick was capturing the essence of the original brand and finding a whole new contemporary visual design and language to drive it forward.
We shaped a new strategic brand narrative, defining and creating opportunities for category growth, forged a complete revolution of visual identity and design for the traditional ale portfolio and created an entire brand architecture for a specialist, limited edition craft beer range. The resulting work won critical acclaim and a World Beer Medal for brand design.
