Return to all projects

Clarity in a crowded market

Burnley Brewing

Project Overview

Role:

Brand director

Period:

2023

Skills:

Brand strategy

Positioning

Identity

Burnley had a solid product – quality beer, strong values, and a loyal community – but the brand wasn’t telling that story clearly. I led a series of strategic changes to sharpen the positioning and bring its strengths to the spotlight, building an identity that felt true to who we were and helping us stand out in a noisy market.

Burnley had a clear internal identity, but it wasn’t translating. Strengths weren’t being communicated clearly, which meant the brand wasn’t leveraging what made it unique.

Key Issues

  1. Motto Positioning


    The old “Funky Tradition” slogan didn’t land and didn’t speak to our German brewing roots. People associated it with sour beers, which only added to the identity confusion.

  2. Credibility Gap


    The industry knew us for top-notch lagers, but it wasn’t part of the story externally. We weren’t owning our place as a brewery that nailed the classics.

  3. Community Connection


    Burnley was doing great things; community programs, inclusive initiatives – but nobody knew about it. The heart was there, but the story wasn’t. Without that connection, our efforts didn’t translate into real brand growth.

  4. Brand Consistency


    As the business grew, the branding became messy: different voices, visuals, and messaging across touchpoints. It needed pulling into line.

Market Context

COVID kicked off a craft beer boom. Breweries popped up fast to meet the growing demand for packaged beer, often leading with bold, experimental styles. But as things settled, demand dipped, the market crowded, and drinkers shifted back to classic, easy-drinking styles. Meanwhile, most breweries stuck to the same branding formula: edgy, blokey, and industrial. In a market this packed, standing out meant offering a fresh point of view.

We needed to bring sharper focus to the brand’s positioning, tell a more cohesive story, and show up with consistency across every touchpoint, without losing what made it warm, local, and real.

placeholder

I created “German Inspired, Melbourne Brewed” to fuse Burnley’s traditional brewing know-how with its youthful, vibrant local presence. Blending tradition and innovation in one line; it’s simple, memorable, and says exactly who Burnley is: a brewery rooted in heritage but built for now.

placeholder

Lagers are a big deal. They don’t hide flaws – demanding precise fermentation, long aging, and rock‑solid consistency, batch after batch, with few hops or adjuncts to cover mistakes. I wanted to turn that test of skill into our selling point, leaning on our German training and aligning the brand with quality and precision. So we used packaging to highlight our love of lagers, dropped more limited-edition lagers and made quality the story with behind-the-scenes social content.

placeholder

I made sure Burnley’s values were front and centre. From formalising community programs and revitalising messaging around a sustainable brew series to launching new projects like Community Kegs and collabs with underrepresented voices, we our values part of the story. Everything we did was communicated clearly, so people actually saw it, got it, and cared.

placeholder

I led the creation of a comprehensive Brand Guide that locked in fonts, colours, logos, messaging, and mission – making sure Burnley’s look and voice finally matched its ambition. With our in-house designer handling the visuals, I drove consistency that made every touchpoint unmistakably Burnley.

placeholder

The slogan stuck. Pubs, bottle shops, and punters started quoting it in menus, social posts and reviews. That kind of organic pickup made Burnley easier to remember, talk about, and share – no extra explaining needed.

Internally, it became a compass for everything from product launches to venue tweaks, keeping everything aligned with that blend of old and new.

placeholder

We leaned into our lager expertise, and the market responded. People started calling Burnley 'champions of lager in Australia' and recognised the skill behind our beers through awards and social posts. Burnley came to stand for quality, care, and classic brewing done right.

placeholder

Once we started communicating what we stood for, Burnley came across as a brand that gave a damn, and people got behind it. Digital engagement and community turnout increased. In a space that usually skews masculine, we connected with new audiences – women, LGBTQ+ folks, younger drinkers, and families – through relevant, ongoing initiatives.

placeholder

Creating and using a clear Brand Guide made Burnley instantly recognisable and saved the team time. It gave us a solid, scalable look ready to grow with the business.

All Projects

Next Project:

Packaging that speaks for itself
Let’s work together