GOLD TAP BREWERY - Harmony in heritage

The Challenge

In the oversaturated food and beverage market, niche brands often compete for attention alongside major distributor campaigns. Addressing a growing demographic of "stay-at-home" consumers, Gold Tap Brewery sought to maintain its position as a market leader in the craft beer segment, even as consumer behaviours change.

Our Strategic Brand Design Approach

Our market research identified an opportunity in consumer behaviour: young adults with tight budgets were increasingly choosing to drink at home rather than going out to pubs and restaurants. However, their preferred brand at venues didn't match what they bought at supermarkets—a disconnect we needed to bridge. 

Visual elegance and familiar dialogue

Agency-R redesigned Gold Tap's packaging for the sale of their products at retail locations (supermarkets and off-licences), ahead of the launch of their draught beer varieties in bottled format. 

Drawing inspiration from the brewery's history and heritage, a custom typeface was designed in tribute to the signage used at the original site, and applied to bottle tops, labels, and promotional materials, along with a refresh of their iconic "Pump Handle" logo. Combining retro charm with a pared-back design system in bold colours provided the necessary continuity from old-world heritage to modern consumer expectations.

The campaign capitalised on this refresh and helped to align consumer preferences across both settings. The goal was simple: make Gold Tap the first brand people think of, whether they're at a bar or shopping for drinks at home. Built around the interrogative slogan directly appealed to the demographic, while opening up the brand to new customers who had not previously considered it as a choice at the point of sale.

Brand Transformation Results

Gold Tap's bottled beer range consistently remained in the top 5 nationwide sales rankings for over three months, delivering measurable growth in brand perception, customer preference, and market share. Due to demand outstripping supply for some of Gold Tap Brewery's more popular products, consumers were observed trying different varieties of the same brand as their beverage of choice, instead of choosing competitor products.