Since 2005, Saugatuck Brewing Company has brewed some of the country’s finest craft beer in Saugatuck, Michigan. As one of the fastest growing breweries in the state, they pride themselves on crafting beer that is unique and great tasting.
VP of Marketing
“There are 333 breweries in the state of Michigan, and over 8,000 in the country, so we have a tremendous amount of competition. There are a ton of breweries making really great beer so you have to find ways to make yourself stand out in this market. Revel has helped us greatly in that challenge and we’re really proud of that partnership.”
Saugatuck Brewing Company was looking to position their brand in the ever-changing and incredibly competitive craft beer market. Specifically, they needed to appeal to their distributors and engage their customers.
Beginning with our Start With Why whiteboarding session, we took a deep dive into their current challenges, goals, and values. From there, a strategy was developed to transform Saugatuck Brewing Company’s brand – and the brands of their unique brews – to match the creativity of the beer they brew.
After new packaging was designed and released, Saugatuck Brewing Company saw orders for Neapolitan Milk Stout, their most popular beer, increase from 1,500 cases to over 15,000 after the rebranding. The next year Neapolitan sales grew another 47%.
To complement the new branding materials, we refreshed and updated the Saugatuck Brewing Company logo and created a tag line that allowed their fun-loving personality to shine through – a toast to the folks who enjoy their beer as much as they enjoy to brew it.
To build overall brand awareness, effectively reach distributors and expand Saugatuck Brewing Company’s market, an outdoor campaign was created featuring individual brews in an eye-catching series, showcasing the unique branding of each beer.
Saugatuck Brewing Company’s new session IPA needed a brand, a label, a carrier, and promotional material. Their goal was to create a beer brand that was comfortable, adventurous, relaxing, and all-around fun. Using custom-illustrated graphics, the packaging – which was awarded a Gold ADDY for Packaging Design – and other materials display various outdoor activities and scenes to support the brand.
Let’s face it, summer isn’t the only time a cold brew tastes good! The goal of this oak-aged Imperial Brown Ale was to conjure up a winter option for beer lovers to enjoy. The eye-catching packaging fits perfectly with Oak Wizard’s magical blend of caramel, coffee and chocolate with minimal hop, and has helped it become a favorite for cozying up around the fire or toasting the holidays.
This award-winning English-style Amber Ale is not too sweet, nor too hoppy – it’s just right! However, sales weren’t showing it, so it was renamed and repackaged with a Goldilocks reference that seemed to hit home with beer drinkers all over the world. The moral of the story? Naming and packaging are super important! The new brand has continued to increase sales and everyone is living happily ever after.
Singapore is perhaps one of Michigan’s most famous ghost towns, and what better way to pay homage to this legendary lost city buried beneath the Saugatuck dunes than by crafting a beer in its behalf and creating a brand that takes you back? Brewed with a refreshing citrus flavor, a hint of pine and multiple hop varieties, Singapore IPA has earned multiple awards since we helped it hit the shelves.
The Neapolitan Milk Stout was a great seasonal beer with a small cult following, but Saugatuck Brewing Company wanted more from their one-of-a-kind beer. Since launching the redesigned packaging, sales have increased by 251%. Due to the increased demand, the once-seasonal beer is now served year-round.
