Your Office
Bar Launch Strategy
Contribution: Consulting, creative direction, brand strategy, copywriting
A new Milwaukee bar was preparing to open in a month. They had a name, logo, physical space, fun office theme and tons of ideas. But they needed customers. They needed marketing help, fast.
A Toast to Flexibility
When I joined the project as a freelancer, the “Your Office” launch team was scrambling just to get the bar and kitchen functional. Marketing was not at the top of anybody’s to-do list, so I created my own strategic priorities and applied my efforts where they would make the biggest impact. That included a first for me: restaurant software. I learned (and dare I say, mastered) the Toast restaurant operations platform, and helped build the bar’s marketing infrastructure.
Office Manager, Brand Edition
The office theme was rich with potential, but only if everyone used the same playbook. My next task: turning the theme into a brand system. I developed brand guidelines—including voice, tone, personality, do’s and don’ts—that could guide communications for months or years to come.
Of course, a strong brand is pointless if it only exists on paper—it needs an audience. I created a content strategy and event plan to attract and engage customers online and at the bar. I set up triggers to drive foot traffic, including a loyalty program, rewards program, discount offers, automated emails and SMS messages. And I authored staff-facing training documents, so waitstaff knew how to use the lingo and where to find the latest drink special at the cash register.
Performance Review: Exceeded Expectations
The social following grew to 2K+ in a few short weeks, and the loyalty program and newsletter subscribers followed suit. More importantly, the bar launched with a packed house—and it has stayed packed ever since.
Postscript: A month after the bar opened, my brother-in-law visited from San Diego. He’d been given one recommendation for a bar he needed to visit. Guess which bar?