Brand story | UX | Copy Strategy
Case Studies | Copywriting 

The brief

The friction

Barfly was founded to connect boardrooms with the living, breathing, bustle and opinions of the world's bars, pubs and restaurants. To capture the reality of bartender's knowledge and experience, share with drinks decision-makers and so shape the drinks culture. 

In their ten years of business, Barfly has grown from two UK-based founders to a global team. With networks across 59 countries and over 100 cities, and a central team of 11, Barfly works with tens of thousands of smart, curious, committed drinks experts.

At meetings, clients and leads would express their surprise: they didn't know the Barfly's scope or reach. Despite long-term relationships, Barfly's suite of services and capabilities were hidden behind a densely-worded, dark, website. This was leaving money on the table. At a time of management and ownership change, it was time to ask: who is Barfly,
what do we do, and why do we exist?

People are fascinating

"A little bit of street in the boardroom": Barfly's tagline had supported their success and growth. But, this sentiment wasn't capturing the depth of their skill. It was underplaying their depth of expertise, their global reach, and their joy in building global brands. 

Talking with new MD Lizzie Carr, and CEO Nick Dudley-Williams, and bringing knowledge of hospitality and drinks, I refined their position and created a story that communicated their purpose: growing drinks brands.

Connecting the dots

Barfly isn't about "the street". Barfly cares about people. It's people's reactions. It's the videos that Barfly create, capturing the nuance of people's reactions. It's their thrill in connecting the dots between a new question and their deep domain expertise.

I articulated this rhythm, vitality, and reason into a succinct, evocative, brand story. I researched and spoke with their client base, proposing and leading on what they needed to communicate, and how.

Conversational

One key message was sharing Barfly's evolution from 'the bartender boys', to a diverse, curious team who bring expertise to trade and consumer drink trends.

The home-page copy takes phrases, words, and the rhythm of the brand story, evoking the action of the Barfly team. Design experts used my brand story as his stimulus for discovery, and captures the fresh future of Barfly.

Evoking senses

Confident brands blend sensory words into their copy.

It communicates a deep understanding of words, which confers intelligence on your readers.

Using simple words keeps your copy accessible.

Connecting through unique stories 

During early briefing meetings, Lizzie and Nick spoke of wanting to share more of their work with their existing and valued customers, and speak to a new variety of potential leads.

Barfly's case study home page hosted around 20 case studies. Though packed with useful information, unique stories about Barfly's approach and impact were lost within long paragraphs and dense copy.

My customer research validated my hypothesis: we needed to pull out: 

• Customer question
• Location
• Skills
• Approach 
• Impact

Pulling these elements out allows readers to triage each case study, helping readers to know that Barfly respects their time.

The Grand Marnier study (pictured) hid a compelling story: to help the brand update its reputation, Barfly commissioned mixologists to blend a new cocktail.

Working with the highly competitive nature of bartenders allowed Barfly to commission new signature serves for Grand Marnier, impacting the future and commercial success of this heritage, beloved, brand — bringing it to a new generation of drinkers.

Uncovering these stories allows Barfly to flex their unique set of skills, and show up with a new confidence.

The review

Working with Ann was a game-changer for Barfly.

She not 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