Challenge

In the Nature of Identity course, students were asked to select a defunct brand and reinvent it through the development of a new identity, visual standards, and the introduction of brand extensions.

Strategy

Like many adolescents of the rural Midwest, Boone’s Farm was my first foray into alcoholic beverages. Although I now prefer California Pinots to gas station malt liquor, I retain a nostalgic affection for the brand, which has become a classic symbol of Americana. In reinventing the brand, I returned Boone’s Farm to it’s origins, as locally produced, fruit based liquor. I connected with online Boone’s Farm fan clubs to gain feedback throughout the design process, ensuring that the brand’s evolution would attract new customers as well as retaining loyal followers. Recipes for the product line were garnered by visiting home brew locations throughout Ohio and Kentucky, where I learned how to make wines from a diverse list of ingredients that included roadside dandelions and store brand jelly.

Results

The resulting brand revolution transformed Boone’s Farm from a sugary malt liquor to an affordable organic wine. Capitalizing on the home brew movement, the brand not only produces organic wines and liquors but also educates consumers on how to legally brew their own. The new brand retains the whimsy of the original Boone’s Farm, replacing Fuzzy Navel and Bahama Breeze with Kentucky Bathtub Whiskey and Dandelion Wine Coolers. In addition to affordable alcoholic beverages, the brand also produces a line of savory snacks and home brew kits.