A rum unlike any other needs a name like no other.
Otherland Society rum is so uniquely rich and smooth it could only be inspired by the Glades. After walking through the client’s genesis, inspirations, and aspirations, we crafted a name and matching brand system that stands out on the top shelf. The primary goal was to create a brand that reflected the richness of their family and environmental history, a story that felt “ownable” in an authentic way.
The brand architecture of “Otherland Society” paints the picture of Pahokee, Florida – a vibrant community known for sugar cane, farming and football. “Otherland” evokes a sense of discovery for the unknown, matching the mystique of Pahokee’s Everglade frontier. “Society” taps into a community we all want to join.
Where does Otherland land on the shelf?
Within an increasingly competitive category, Otherland was positioned for success beyond family and industry ties. Through the discovery phase of in-depth interviews and competitive research, this new, hand-crafted sipping spirit landed in the “super premium” range between premium and ultra-premium rums.
Audience Personas
With a newfound focus on aromas, flavor profiles and a range of distilling methods, rum is one of the most complex and diverse spirits on the market. To build a brand that garnered the attention of spirit-lovers who like rum neat, or mixed in a cocktail, we worked through 10 personas to capture the target audience for Otherland Society.
There’s gold in this muck
After visiting the Otherland, we developed a brand story to establish the origins of the Society.
Everyone believes they know who they are, sometimes you simply need help articulating it. To tell the story of their rum and deep family roots in Pahokee, we collaborated with our client on the Story Spine framework to authenticate the lasting brand.
Visual Identity
Articulating a visual identity begins with a series of moodboards and defining the brand attributes. This part of our process is iterative, and especially exciting for a client to begin seeing their brand take shape. The Otherland Society brand concept is meant to invite rum drinkers to discover a place where the bounty of the land is respected and natural wonders are cherished. The moodboard’s weathered graphics paired with high end finishes allude to craftsmanship. Dark colors with pops of gold evoke a mysterious feeling where delights are waiting to be discovered.
We brought the Otherland Society brand to life through a visual identity system designed to stand off the shelves and with the ability to scale. After deep exploration and visual discovery, a detailed brand manual was developed. This document holds the brand foundation for clients to execute against and assist vendors – no matter the application or deliverable. To illustrate the importance of craft and heritage, we designed an OS monogram which embraces a cohesive, connected and established look which is supported by traditional typography. Stamps and variations of the logotype provide depth to the brand and enable a responsive brand system. While some logos are meant to be applied in large instances, others are designed to hold up in the tiniest applications on the bottle. The Wild Hare Dark Rum crest was designed with modularity in mind. For future rum varietals, we plan to maintain the crest shape and sugarcane detail but replace the animal illustration and name to highlight another member of the Otherland’s ecological family.
A Rum From An Otherland
Otherland’s signature rum is a homage to the “Marsh Rabbits” that define the area. The crest was designed with modularity in mind. As a full product line emerges, the crest shape and sugarcane detail set a template for future flavor variants to be named after wildlife in the Everglades region.
Crafted to Perfection
Leaning into the distinct characteristics of Otherland Society and drawing inspiration from the Everglades, the bottle design elevates the brand attributes with unique, thoughtful details. We advised on, sourced, designed and managed the entire process: the bottle, custom engraved wood toppers, label textures, colors and foils to craft the perfect bottle.
A Society to Envy
We worked closely to ensure the Otherland Society brand was a part of every physical execution. In the spirit industry, every touchpoint has a chance to make a high-proof impression. These brand extensions include shipping containers, on-shelf and in-store marketing materials.
An Impression Beyond Sugar Cane Country
Leave A Mark
We designed and built the website to reflect the Otherland Society brand attributes. As brand awareness grows and matures, the site will evolve to account for new products, press and activations. Visit website.
otherlandsociety.com
Send, Seek & Discover
We designed and built a cohesive experience at every level, including an integrated email campaign to help drive preorders of Wild Hare Dark Rum.
Every Last Detail
Activation went beyond digital to grow brand awareness in an elevated way. We designed and sourced tools for every event including custom butcher blocks, ice stamps, coasters and more.
Embracing Flexible signage
We wanted the brand to be manifested uniquely and consistently across all engagements from industry events to tastings and more. Flexible signage, a dynamic table runner and premium paper products leverage Otherland Society above the rest.
Rep the name
Branded products are a blast to design, and even more fun to take out into the world. We brainstormed products to help rep Otherland Society at events and IRL. Making these products helped move the brand name off the shelf and into focus.
We orchestrated and set up Otherland’s corporate launch event, positioning Wild Hare Dark Rum as a sponsor for the Michelin Guide selection of restaurants in Florida. Wild Hare Dark Rum was served at the Inaugural Florida Michelin Guide Reveal at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, inducting the best culinary talent in the state to best of the culinary world. With Master Distiller Marianne Eaves and celebrated mixologist Cody Goldstein, with Muddling Memories on hand to celebrate, we successfully launched the brand in front of the industry’s best of the best.
Reaching the Otherland
We defined a social media strategy with Otherland, providing guidance on appropriate channels, along with evergreen graphics and captions. The resulting strategy helped put our brand attributes into practice with a look and feel consumers could naturally engage with.
Getting real with reels
To catapult our social media strategy, we integrated Instagram Reels to help enrich the Otherland Society. Reels capturing Otherland’s history, can’t-miss events and cocktail recipes help serve the invitation to “Our Society.”
