La Tequilería
BRAND STRATEGY • ART DIRECTION • PRINT MEDIA• DIGITAL MARKETING • PHOTOGRAPHY • PUBLIC RELATIONS
La Tequilería was born in recognition of the hard work, love, and dedication of the people of Mexico who, with a lifetime of experience, have turned their prized blue agave plant into the most exquisite spirit - tequila. La Tequilería is a premium tequila lounge serving over 160 premium tequilas, creative craft cocktails, and traditional Mexican food in Melrose Park, Illinois.
Challenge: Recognizing that their establishment is fairly new and unexpected in Melrose Park, La Tequilería wanted to improve its visual identity as well as expand its brand awareness in hopes of increasing restaurant attendance.
Solution: After developing their tone of voice guideline and brand identity, new strategies were implemented to attract patrons from surrounding suburbs; including a consistent social media plan/content, press, and marketing material.
Team: Alexandra Castro (Team Lead, Art Director, Designer, Photographer) Alexis Cuellar (Copywriter: Social Media)
INDUSTRY: RESTAURANT
Tone of Voice
When considering the direction of La Tequilería’s marketing and branding objectives, it was important to determine the tone of voice of the brand to create a consistent representation of the brand. The Tone of Voice Guidelines were written and shared with management, restaurant staff, and the support team for a unified understanding of its values. It was also implemented for social media and marketing material.
Brand Collateral
A color palette and font family were selected for a consistent visual identity. The color palette was inspired by the blue weber agave, the plant that is harvested to make the tequila itself, in addition to the rustic agave plantations. It was very important to combine rustic elements with refreshing green hues as it symbolically represents the modern interpretation of traditional food and cocktails items offered at La Tequilería.
Photography
It was important when styling the photoshoots of the dishes and cocktails that the images embodied elegance and vibrancy. This was expressed through the draping of the cloths, ingredients that were subtly incorporated for texture and other props. All of the photos featured a rustic element, thus symbolically reinforcing La Tequilería’s values of tradition-integrity.
For each photoshoot, I created a mood board along with a shot list, and light sketches to help guide me during the shoot. This also developed efficiency and ensured that the vision would come to fruition.
Social Media
A communication strategy was implemented with targeted ads to increase brand awareness. Featured below are a few graphics of events promotions, Instagram stories, and Facebook images that share unifying visual elements as seen in the print collateral displayed above. Other content strategies such as behind-the-scenes videos of the chefs and mixologists were also shared. Within three months, the Facebook page saw a 35% increase in audience following.
Press
In addition to print marketing material and social media content, I wrote press releases and pitches to credible media outlets relevant to the restaurant and food industry. Featured below are two article links highlighting La Tequilería.
Chicago Food Magazine | “T” Award | July 2019
Chicago Food Magazine | Chef Diana Coss y Leon | February 2020
