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Lake Beverage Branding

Branding is a very difficult concept to get right. They had a systematic process and a holistic approach that was very collaborative and gave us great comfort that we had put our company image in the right hands. In the end, they delivered on everything. They didn't leave us to fend for ourselves in an area that we never really spend time in or have the expertise with.

~ Bernie Schroeder, President, Lake Beverage

Going beyond beer. Refreshing a brand for a regional beverage distributor.

For decades, Lake Beverage had a logo that catered to the beer giant, Anheuser Busch, and (by the client’s admission) resembled the Laverne & Shirley television show. The business has grown as a result of the hard work and strong relationships of the leadership team, and from a hardworking but compassionate culture. What lacked was strong branding. The nod to AB was important, but was not the basis of who Lake Beverage is anymore.

More recently, there’s been a shift in taste. Regional and local craft beer, as well as wines, spirits, sodas, and teas, are a major part of any menu. To help Lake Beverage evolve with the times, we started with a brand workshop, which led to a powerful brand position and manifesto—their company’s rallying cry. Next came a new logo that better embodied their position as a distributor that doesn’t simply bow to AB (although, if you look—the King of Beers still has its crown in place). To close the loop, we developed full brand guidelines, including how their brand is carried out on everything from business cards and letterhead to shirts, hats, and pint glasses to their trucks and building signage.

  • Process:

    • Brand workshop, branding and positioning statements, logo design, brand standards, vehicle and building signage
    • Strong public relations campaign:
      • Achieved a feature spot on the morning show for News 10, two airings of an interview with WHAM 13’s Pauly Guglielmo on “CEOs You Should Know” and his food and beverage show
      • A front cover story in the Rochester Business Journal; promoted the community commitment of this family-oriented organization with many key partners in a video.
    • This rebrand led to an expansion throughout the region in restaurants and stores.
    • No longer just the “Bud guys,” this led to a level of consultative selling.
    • ……………………………………

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