Craft beers and spirits are among the fastest-growing segments of the beverage alcohol market – a fact that inspires BRZoom, the Louisiana-based marketing agency charged with helping expand this growing popularity.
For the past decade, BRZoom (Bochanis Rogan Zoom LLC) has worked with such powerhouse brands as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rémy Martin and Snapple. Now the agency is focusing its efforts on helping craft brewers and distillers develop innovative packaging designs that tell their brand stories. The company’s latest inventive design work has been for three rising beverage brands: Two Roads Brewing, Bayou Rum and Humboldt Brewing Company.
BRZoom co-founder and design director David Worrell says the new designs are capturing growing recognition and intrigue from consumers.
“We recognized early on that effective craft package design had to tell a story about the brand and its origins,” Worrell said. “Doing so sets the brand apart from the competition. Understanding this simple thought dramatically changed the way we approached our packaging design assignments. We aren’t just designers anymore; we’ve become Visual Story Tellers.”
For example, Connecticut-based Two Roads Brewing Company, one of Huffington Post’s 10 up-and-coming breweries to watch, encourages consumers to take the “road less traveled.”
BRZoom’s crafty design of two hands pointing in opposite directions illustrates owners Brad Hittle, Clement Pellani, Phil Markowski, and Peter Doering’s philosophy to explore the path less frequented, while having fun along the way. Hittle, co-founder of Two Roads, worked with BRZoom when he was chief marketing officer of Pabst Brewing Company and thought the agency was a natural fit for his new brand.
“In our careers and in our life, we have always taken the road less traveled. It’s this same philosophy that drove our quest for innovative package design,” Hittle said. “BRZoom first helped us craft our brand story, and then visually tell that story thorough our packaging. Our brand really stands out on a cluttered shelf.”
Bayou Rum, launched by Louisiana Spirits in July 2013, was built on the credo “live life to the fullest,” a tribute to the unwavering spirit that runs through the region’s bayous and the veins of its residents. Recognizing rich tradition and culture, BRZoom’s unique bottle design with the ubiquitous alligator trademark enables Louisiana Spirits to boldly capture the spirit of the state.
“We just launched Bayou Rum and have received amazing response to our packaging. Just look at our bottles; there’s no mistaking that it’s infused with the Spirit of Louisiana,” said Trey Litel, co-founder of Louisiana Spirits, LLC.
New packaging for BRZoom’s latest project, Humboldt Brewing Company, will launch this fall. The pioneering California craft beer brand debuted in 1987 as Nectar Ales, which was acquired by Total Beverage Solution in 2012. BRZoom is finalizing a product design that will communicate the story of a unique beer for ‘liberated spirits’ from a region synonymous with preservation, independence and activism.
A full-service marketing resource, BRZoom helps brands take on bigger, better-funded “Goliaths” in their categories. The agency accomplishes this by connecting brands to the culture of their constituent consumers in ways larger brands would never consider. The result is deeper, more meaningful connections with consumers that keep emerging brands relevant…and have the Goliaths asking, “How come we’re not doing that?”
BRZoom has offices in Baton Rouge, La., and Wilton, Conn.
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