Sobr Market: Brand Guidelines and Brand Story
Client:
Sobr Market
Role:
Brand audit
Brand strategy
Design
Copywriting
Organic strategy
Research
Tools
Canva
Partners
Alyssa Tomchak
Angel Pangilinan
Sobr Market was founded on a simple (but powerful) idea: choosing a non-alcoholic drink shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste and experience. But as the brand grew, its brand identity couldn’t keep up. Without a defined voice, Sobr Market risked expanding its businesses without a consistent identity.
What’s Sobr Market?
Sobr Market is a Canadian non-alcoholic drink store that offers a wide range of beverages for customers who want to avoid compromising on taste or experience.
The Challenge
Sobr Market was preparing to expand their business and franchise, but it lacked a consistent brand and tone — leading to inconsistent brand messaging. Without a clear identity, potential customers struggled to connect with the brand’s vision: A world where saying no to alcohol doesn’t feel like saying no to connection and fun.
The Solution
A brand guidelines document that outlines Sobr Market’s beliefs, voice and long-term goals, and a revised brand story that solidifies who Sobr Market is and what it wants to accomplish.
The Process
To position the brand for success as the owners build out their long-term growth plans, I — along with my two partners, Alyssa Tomchak and Angel Pangilinan — conducted a full-scale brand audit to determine the brand’s voice, tone, core values, mission and vision.
We also researched Sobr Market’s target audiences and researched what they’re looking for from non-alcoholic drink companies: education, support, and community.
After our audit and audience research, we determined that Sobr Market embodied the judgement-free “cool aunt” you run to when you need support. Because Sobr Market’s voice is knowledgeable, supportive and friendly, we wanted to ensure this came across throughout all of their communication touchpoints.
To ensure its communications stayed consistent, we created a stylized brand guidelines document, written in the voice of Sobr Market. This ensured future franchises would have a complete understanding of what the brand is, what it sounds like and what its goals are.
After creating the brand guidelines, I felt it was important for Sobr Market to also have a core brand story. Pulling information from our discovery meeting and the newly created brand guidelines, I positioned Sobr Market as a relatable brand that understands what it’s like to deal with a lack of non-alcoholic options.
This brand story resonates with the target audience because it relates to the target audience’s struggles of the lack of non-alcoholic drink options and education while showcasing that a sober lifestyle can still be fulfilling and full of connection.
Sobr Market's Brand Story
The Results*
With these brand guidelines and brand story, Sobr Market can successfully establish a consistent brand identity and voice, ensuring coherence as it continues to expand with new locations. This supports the brand’s growth, allowing it to maintain a unified presence across all touchpoints while strengthening customer trust and loyalty.
*This piece of work was created as part of a brand strategy assignment for my Creative Communications program.
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