Greene King
Crowning moments
Revitalizing an iconic pub chain brand with over 200 years of history
Challenge
Founded in 1799 in Bury St. Edmunds, Greene King has grown into one of Britain’s most cherished pub chains, boasting an estate of over 950 public houses. Following its acquisition by CK Holdings, Greene King had an opportunity to reassess the brand’s role and strategically re-position for the modern landscape. Given its rich history, the brand required careful evolution that could flex across its diverse portfolio of pubs and adapt to reach its full potential.
Insight
Siegel+Gale followed a consumer-led, fact-based approach throughout the project. First, we immersed ourselves in the world of Greene King with ethnographic data and took inspiration from the archive at Bury St. Edmunds, the place where it all began. Then, we conducted bespoke qualitative and quantitative research to understand the changing market environment and the needs of different audiences—including those historically overlooked by pub brands—and find the authentic strengths of the Greene King brand.
Our proprietary EyeOpener™ tool was used to precisely highlight the branding attributes that Greene King could authentically own and emphasized areas where the brand could thrive in the future, helping to reveal the ‘Compelling Truth’ behind the brand. Finally, we co-created positioning prototypes with consumers and stakeholders, and through extensive iteration and testing, we developed a new brand platform that authentically captures the essence of Greene King’s pubs—somewhere that brings people together, makes you feel welcome and reflects 200 years of heritage.
Answer
From our insights, we developed the strategy to substantiate Greene King as the quintessential British pub experience, seamlessly blending its storied heritage with contemporary relevance to attract a diverse and evolving customer base.
The positioning statement’ Moments Made Greater’ emphasizes the joy of everyday moments and showcases how Greene King pubs positively enhance people’s lives, serving as a reminder that the new brand offering from Greene King aims to elevate the guest experience, transforming ordinary moments into something truly special. We used this positioning statement to fuel an identity deeply rooted in humanity, drawing from real people’s connection to the brand. After 50+ explorations, we recreated the historic brand logo to be hand-rendered, drawing inspiration from the Bury St. Edmunds crown to convey craftsmanship and elegance.
Additionally, we designed a bespoke typeface that incorporated elements of the crown, complemented by a more premium color palette. When tested, this new identity boosted brand favourability and consideration with consumer research findings, with 57% of consumers saying the new identity made them more favorable towards visiting a Greene King pub in the future. Following the design, we extended the proposition to Brand Experience.
Currently, the new visual identity is being piloted in select Greene King pubs ahead of a broader rollout. The new identity is crafted to seamlessly integrate across all pubs while simultaneously leveraging their rich heritage to protect and enhance each pub’s unique character and distinction.
