The Umbrella Dry Bar Written Tapestry
Bespoke Brand Messaging
Tone-of-voice descriptors
ABOUT
relaxed
vibrant
tasteful
good-natured
THE BACKSTORY ↓
Umbrella Dry Bar is a purely non-alcoholic full-service bar and retail bottle shop nestled in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Even before the opening, Meg, the founder, was gaining impressive momentum in her community through popup-style events and obvious buzz. So much so that she actually hired someone to run the social media side of things.
While Meg had originally written her website copy herself, the need for an in-depth messaging strategy became more clear. She felt it was time-consuming to get precisely the right words to convey the message, and she needed her social media team member to be able to confidently speak on Umbrella’s behalf with her voice.
All that to say, she hired Woven Copy Studio to weave together her messaging in a way that ties together her visual identity and encourages a cohesive story while growing her team. And I'm grateful. Because this was another *pinch me* kind of project.
The standout pieces
Through Meg’s intimate workbook responses, industry research, keyword research, and consumer feedback, we were able to weave together words for a 36-page digital and tangible brand messaging handbook that honestly and organically showcases who and what Umbrella is.
Now, Meg has all the foundational pieces of her success story at her fingertips, making the process of writing and telling it – both on the screen and in person – feel more au natural.
And because I love to give my clients more than what they came for, Meg also walked away from our collaboration with a Google folder of website copy edits, SEO guidance, and an optimized Instagram bio to help her visualize how to carry her messaging forward.
Take a read through what we brought to life – together:
A brand trueline is what the brand wants its community to remember. It also serves as an internal reminder of what the messaging should focus on.
At Umbrella, the brand trueline is:
Come for the consciously good sips, stay for the clearer connections at Umbrella — Raleigh's purely zero-proof bar.
Brand trueline
Shaking up the bar experience
No matter where you’re at in your wellness journey, Umbrella exists to serve you. Because you deserve the non-triggering, comfortable space to be social while sober — whether for a short time or a long time.
Nestled in a thriving, accessible section of downtown Raleigh is where you can experience the familiarity of a craft cocktail bar and retail bottle shop — without the alcohol.
Our zero-proof menu, bottle shop, and event space welcomes you to sip + stay awhile. Together, we can mindfully consider our habits and rituals, expand our wellness journeys, and enjoy stronger connections and the vibrancy of life through clear(er) eyes. Let's pour one up for you.
I really believe these are selected with the absolute BEST of intentions. But honestly, so generic. So safe.
How do I create values that actually stand for something? With this question from Woven Copy Studio’s brand messaging discovery workbook – for starters:
What are the core values that drive you? These values come from your background, personal beliefs, life experiences, and general moral standing. (Try to limit to no more than 3)
Now, see how we went a couple layers deeper with Meg's responses below to weave together Umbrella's core values. AND we presented them as a 3-ingredient cocktail of sorts. ;)
- Welcome everyone → Creating space to feel seen & respected
- Try something new → Inspiring a love for trying new things
- Be mindful and conscious of what we consume → Choosing conscious consumption & connection
Come for the consciously good sips
Three-ingredient Umbrella cocktail
Core values
mini manifesto
The debut
To see how this messaging came to life, visit umbrelladrybar.com. Be sure to follow along on Instagram for the latest updates and zero-proof cocktail inspiration.
Want to partner on a brand messaging project like this one? Send me a note to get the conversation started!
“I knew what I wanted to say on my website and socials, just not exactly how to say it. I loved her process of getting super familiar with the brand and me, so the result is true and authentic. The journal-prompt style onboarding made me think through my concept more fully. At first, I didn’t think I would like that style and would prefer a conversation, but the writing time gave me so much more insight into what I was trying to accomplish. Carrie’s process does that. I was in tears reading the first draft. It was so beautiful! … I couldn’t have dreamed of a better deliverable. I’ve already used it many times in the first week of seeing it. I will use it for so much - the best investment.”
— meg,
founder of umbrella dry bar
