Industry
- Beverage
- Agriculture
Service
- Website Design
- Marketing
- Brand Strategy
- Brand Development
Honing the Brand Strategy and Identity for a Finger Lakes Favorite
Billsboro Winery crafts dry classic European varietals in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country. Owners Vinny and Kim Aliperti have a strong business, and were looking for more recognition for their brand both locally and in the media. We recommended a brand audit and strategy to understand the foundation of their brand and see where there some opportunities may lie. After careful analysis, we made some recommendations for their wine club, digital marketing strategies like social media and email, and their public relations. Through that brand strategy process we discussed a new look to align with their brand goals. We worked together to develop marketing and brand strategies, brand assets (including a brand new logo!), and a dynamic new website.
Photo by Dan Roman
The Challenge
When Billsboro came to us, we immediately understood them to be a strong presence in the community. They cultivate delicious wines, have a substantial, active audience on social media, and tend to a beautiful space and friendly atmosphere that keep customers returning again and again.
Billsboro hoped to improve its web experience for customers, increase communication with followers and wine club members, and elevate its logo to match its laid-back but sophisticated identity.
We worked on a brand strategy and a brand audit to start. This work included an analysis of their data to establish the foundation of the brand, competitor analysis, SWOT analysis (for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), and a brand ladder to solidify the brand identity. From this point, we developed a marketing strategy.
In our research we recognized opportunities for Billsboro to incorporate an email template to facilitate building relationships and increase engagement, and updated their site to optimize for SEO and create ease for the customer from awareness to consideration to purchase.
The winery’s vibrant personality and welcoming mood shone through in the work. Eventually we agreed that there was an opportunity to refresh Billsboro’s brand library to better reflect its identity.
The Results
The final results of the Billsboro strategy, logomark, email template, and website are a clear indication of this winery’s brand personality. We leveraged the well-loved barn quilt on the winery’s property and used it to guide the creation of a new logo. The final design provides a welcoming feeling that represents the winery, tying in mid-century modern Italian art styles that match the use of Italian language in the Il Fienile wine club and nod to co-owner Vinny Aliperti’s Italian heritage.
The email template is adaptable and creates efficiency for the Billsboro team. It will allow them to more easily send branded messages to their wine club, regular customers, and employees as needed.
How We Did It
We enjoy telling our client’s stories through language and visual tools, but that whole story begins with strategy. Only once we listened to client goals, understood their current position, analyzed competitors, and saw the strengths and opportunities for growth, could we embark on a clear roadmap for the Billsboro Winery brand. This winery’s story is one that invites the sophisticated wine lover to relax in a beautiful tasting room, sip a bottle at home with friends, or attend themed events with friends.
Photography by Dan Roman and Billsboro Winery
They helped us to define ourselves in a way that we hadn’t before
We were at a point where we had undergone some significant changes to our business model and felt the time was right to take a look back at the last 15 years of business and make some tweaks to our branding. I thought the entire 29 Design Studio team was on top of their game. They really listened to what we were saying and helped us to define ourselves in a way that we hadn’t before, but felt spot on. We genuinely felt that 29 Design “got” who we are, and the results speak for themselves. The process helped us to identify areas of opportunity and helped us to capitalize on the strengths we had – all wrapped up in some pretty cool branding that feels like us! Kim Aliperti, Owner and General Manager, Billsboro Winery
