TL;DR
Client: Barfly, a global drinks insight agency.
The problem: Ten years in, Barfly had a global team and a strong reputation, but its website hid what it could do.
What I did: Brand story, messaging, brand voice, project management, talent sourcing, and website copy, built on conversations with their clients.
The result: Two global clients within four months of launch, both crediting the new brand for their confidence in Barfly. One was a global FMCG leader who hadn’t thought Barfly could help until they saw it.
Timeline: 16 weeks.
Worked with: Steven Duffy (visuals), Michael Allingag (build).
“We were particularly impressed by how Ann managed to shed the big, corporate jargon and replace it with language that resonates with our audience.” Lizzie Carr, Managing Director, Barfly
The brief
Brand story | UX | Brand voice
Copy strategy | Case studies | Copywriting
Barfly connects boardrooms with the living, breathing bustle of the world’s bars, pubs and restaurants. Its team captures what bartenders know, shares it with drinks decision-makers, and helps shape drinks culture.
Ten years in, they’d grown from two UK-based founders to a global team about to move into premises in the heart of Soho, London - they were and are hugely successful. But the people who might hire them couldn’t see how much they could do. Their services sat behind a densely worded, dark website, and that was leaving money on the table.
With management and ownership changing, it was time to ask three questions: who is Barfly, what do we do, and why do we exist?
Connecting the dots
I researched and read around Barfly's audience to find out what they valued, and what they didn’t know Barfly did. Then I wrote the brand story and website copy around one idea: Barfly isn’t about “the street”. It’s about people, their reactions, and the thrill of connecting a new question to deep domain expertise.
Drinks are sensory, so the words had to be too. One of Barfly’s most exciting services is filmed ethnography, where local drinks experts give their unfiltered opinions on a product. The words and reactions of late-night drinkers in Nairobi, tired NYC bartenders or flyers from the Phillipines showed me that Barfly pulls no punches - they want their clients to have powerful information. Their brand voice deserved the same courage.
Evoking senses
Drinks are sensory, and Barfly know this: I wanted to bring the benefits of their work to life, so their bigger, wider audience could understand how they were different.
One of their most exciting and beneficial services is filmed ethnography, where local drinks experts give their unfiltered opinions on the product.
Simple words, evoking the brilliance of Barfly and their ability to deliver unqiue insights to the world's leading drinks brands.
If you want to know how I make a voice, you can read more here.
Result
x2
Within four months of launching the new brand, Barfly had two huge, global clients, who both attributed their confidence in Barfly to the brand I created.
One client knew their work, and didn't think that Barfly could help - until they saw the new identity. The new brand gave this global FMCG leader the confidence that Barfly could deliver the insights needed for one of the world's largest drinks brands.
Want the whole story?
This page is an abbreviated version. This full PDF has the rest: what the project covered, how I work, how we found Barfly's voice, how I found, briefed and co-ordinated the creation of the visual brand, and the results. You'll need about a minute to scan it, or three-fives minutes to take your time and understand the project, methods, and outcomes.
The review
Working with Ann was a game-changer for Barfly.
She helped us refine our core message and translated this into a compelling and inspiring narrative that truly reflects who we are and who we want to be as we grow up.
Ann took what we knew about our agency and transformed it into a story that is approachable, contemporary, and highly relevant.
We were particularly impressed by how Ann managed to shed the big, corporate jargon and replace it with language that resonates with our audience. Her creativity and insight were instrumental in making our message clear and engaging. It is almost as if Ann spread fairy-dust, retelling us what we told her but in a much better and more engaging way.
Ann's personality and energy were a breath of fresh air throughout the project. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and she brought a level of dedication and passion that exceeded our expectations.
We loved having Ann on board, and we are thrilled with the results of her work.
Thank you, Ann!
Lizzie Carr, Managing Director
Barfly
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