Tucker.Love

Problem

The winery had a cult status with their fans and sales through their tasting room
Restaurants and sommeliers did not take the winery seriously because of their cheesy labels and whimsical approach to branding
The winery owners and family were too emotionally attached to the funky labels including cherubs, local art, and bear illustrations
The family assumed their fans wouldn't buy their wines because it would change the vibe of the winery
They did not have an e-commerce website and depended on wine club memberships to circumvent online wine sales

James met the heir of the winemaker at the tasting room and hit it off instantly
Jeff Bundschu and James travelled to France to taste wines and meet winemakers
James was taught the process of making wines during "crush" (typically defined as picking and crushing the grape)
The Bundschu's invited James to dig into family history, albums, and attics to find inspiration for the brand redesign
James found old logos in the attic from pre-and-post prohibition era when the wine was sold as "medicine"
James made it to Sonoma as much as possible to be a part of the wine community - so the new brand will connect with the culture

The heir of the winemaker, Jeff Bundschu, was taking over the business and with met James frequently to discuss strategy, vision, and ROI
James convinced the "detractors" - who did not want change - to first see this as a research project
Jeff and James "ran the numbers" to show what would happen if the rebrand moved-the-needle at best and worst case scenarios
At various stages and user testing on bottles, James created over 50 different wine label designs to show California wine sommeliers
James placed top designs on the market shelves and watched people react in the store (ambush user experience method)
Created a business case for change with solid insights and research data to support the return on investment
Created a total brand solution and marketing materials including wine label, e-commerce website, brochures, and style guides for two of the Gundlach Bundschu brands (including Bartholomew Park Winery)
Organized the launch party at the winery with bands, press, and local wine-makers

Cult-following fans loved that their winery was "growing up" and became more devoted fans
Restauranteurs and sommeliers took Gundlach Bundschu seriously and started to present the wine to their customers
The winery was able to charge more for their wines because the brand matched the quality (premium to ultra-premium leap)
The winery became [quite impressively] profitable after the brand overhaul and new marketing efforts
This brand relaunch paired with the announcement of Jeff Bundschu to lead the winery was a perfect transition from father to son