Building a beverage brand led by a little girl from the ground up — now 15 years in business and in retailers nationwide.

A small lemonade company was at a crossroads that makes or breaks brands. On the cusp of major distribution deals with national retailers, a copyright infringement forced the company to walk away from their brand name, logo and everything that identified them on the shelf.

We decided to tell a story.

Unlike most of the competition in the packaged goods category, the lemonade company was a triple threat. A purpose-driven brand. Run by a preteen social entrepreneur. Dedicated to saving our honeybees. Based on their singular position within the market, we developed a 360-degree brand identity that amplified their social good message, anthropomorphized the brand into a storybook tale, and aimed that message at cultural influencers poised to spread the word.

Meet Me & the Bees.

Not only did Me & the Bees cement deals with retailers like Starbucks and Whole Foods, product distribution increased by nearly 300% and sales grew by almost 170% from the previous year. But there’s no way to quantify the cultural impact of the rebranding. Our story proved contagious, garnering attention from Forbes, Fortune, Inc., the White House and more.

NAME & LOGO:

In order to create a brand identity that could transcend the packaged goods category, we created the title of a classic children’s story. Me & the Bees captures the hero, the mission and an inclusive, universal appeal optimized to inspire other “beelievers” to action.

PRODUCT DESIGN:

We developed the packaging as “my lemonade stand in a bottle,” an ambassador for the Me & the Bees “origin story.” The new design needed to share visual DNA with the original, yet we shifted the focus from product to purpose—emphasizing Mikaila as hero and her mission to save the bees.

BRAND IDENTITY SYSTEM:

Iconic, playful and sophisticated, the Me & the Bees glyphs express the heart of the brand: Love, Honey, Bees.

BRAND BOOK:

A brand book was essential to codify the new look, feel and voice of the brand. But a clinical approach felt wrong. We instead developed a brand storybook, a narrative that proved engaging to our 12-year old client while remaining an effective tool for media and vendors. 

Winner of the 2016 Jay Chiat Award for Strategic Excellence

Designer: Braden Wise

Design Director: Tim Meraz

Strategy Directors: Mark Miller & Adrian Barrow