East of West Vineyards
Where
Mythic Proportions
Role
Strategist,
Creative Director,
Brand Design
Thanks To
Justin & Jordan Mechell
Clients
Chris San Juan
Brand Strategist, Marketer
Who
East of West Vineyards
When
2022
On the Map
Everyone loves an underdog.
What could be more charming than challenging the notion of where great wine comes from? But the real challenge comes when your locale is too difficult to find on a map. Don’t forget the comma when you Google the town of West, Texas.
So, the strategy and the goal were aligned.
Put Texas on the map (when it comes to wine).
Put West on the map (where it comes to Texas).
Best Kept Secrets
West is a tiny Central Texas town, seven and a half hours from the West Texas most people imagine.
Meanwhile, Texas itself was being rediscovered by a new generation of Americans—many arriving from the coasts.
Our opportunity was to make East of West part of that discovery: premium, but not fancy. Wine meant to be enjoyed with family and friends. Elevating the ordinary.
First, become known and respected regionally.
Then put a distinctly Texas wine into competition with the best American wines.
We started by defining East of West’s 4 C’s:
Competition, Consumer, Company & Culture.
To truly differentiate, we had to understand two things:
(1) who we are
(2) who we serve.
The opportunity lived between familiarity and surprise—between what people already trusted about Texas and something they hadn't seen before.
We defined that territory through four lenses: Competition, Consumer, Company & Culture.
East of West is the archetypal Explorer
Working with the founders, we identified the drive at the center of the brand: a distinctly Texas belief in exploration, independence and finding your own way.
Cultural Insights & Touch Points
We looked to Texas culture for familiar signals we could make new. Fresh twists on classics.
The territory became Texas: Modern—an inspired refinement of the past.
A friendly rivalry has emerged between Texas and California over the last few years, as the flow of residents reversed direction for the first time in generations.
But the relationship has deeper roots in our national psyche. Mid-century Hollywood is still the filter by which most Americans think of Texas.
Whether your favorite cowboy was Paul Newman, James Dean or John Wayne they each had a style that combined the best of both worlds.
Films like Hud or Giant presented a modern, sophisticated cool with the earthiness of the everyman.
The elevation of the everyday.
GOT A PROJECT OR OPPORTUNITY BREWING?