This week in the branding world, Beyoncé entered the celebrity liquor space, Chick-fil-A’s upcoming streaming service was revealed, and Kit Kat got an extra-breakable new logo. Here’s all the branding news we’re reading up on.
The news: It’s pretty much impossible for the vast majority of the population to look like Beyoncé, sing like Beyoncé, or live like Beyoncé—but now we can at least drink like Beyoncé. This week, the 32-time Grammy winner unveiled her new luxury whiskey brand, SirDavis, and it has a pretty compelling backstory.
The big picture: SirDavis is the fruit of a multiyear partnership with Moët Hennessy. The brand is inspired by Queen B’s paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, who worked as a farmer and moonshiner in the South during Prohibition. The liquor has notes of Seville oranges, sun-kissed raisins, and an array of spices. It retails for $89.
Why it matters: Beyoncé is hardly the first A-lister to enter the hard liquor space. Celebrity liquors are having a moment, with brands like Ryan Reynolds’s Aviation gin and George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila selling for huge sums in recent years. But celebrity whiskeys are trickier to find. According to a press release, SirDavis is “a uniquely American whiskey with global appeal,” and beyond the brand’s unique backstory, the whiskey category is also seeing consistent year-over-year growth. Given Beyoncé’s endorsement, it’s possible that whiskey is the next frontier of celebrity partnerships.
The news: Breaking off a piece of that Kit Kat bar just got a little crunchier. The brand debuted a new logo that’s intended to look more like its iconic, snappy candy bar.
The big picture: To achieve a more evocative look, the brand sold by Hershey Co. adopted a chunkier, straighter font with no drop shadow on the inside, allowing it to mimic the rectangular shape that a Kit Kat candy bar calls to mind. The agency behind the rebrand says it’s “activating the brand with the upbeat, kinetic energy of Kit Kat’s iconic ‘break.’”
Why it matters: The past few years have seen several food-based brands upping the ante on “edible” visual identities. In 2021, Burger King revealed a now-iconic rebrand with a juicy new typeface that’s almost good enough to eat, emphasizing the freshness and “craveability” of its offerings. And this year, Impossible Foods scrapped its previous green branding for a bloody-red palette, intended to remind customers of its meaty taste. Nowadays, if a product’s branding doesn’t look good enough to eat, it might have trouble keeping up with the competition.
The news: Care for a side of reality TV with your 10-piece nugget meal? Chick-fil-A has you covered. In a somewhat baffling turn of events, the fast-food restaurant chain is looking to launch a streaming platform sometime soon.
The big picture: In a report from Deadline, sources shared that Chick-fil-A is coming for Netflix’s brand with a streaming platform complete with its own reality TV and game show offerings. Major studios appear to be on board, including the company behind Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.
Why it matters: Chick-fil-A starting its own streaming service is a move that’s sure to ruffle some feathers, but it’s actually not the first non-media company to try to break into the entertainment industry. Lyft and Airbnb have recently released their own branded shows, and Verizon took clear inspiration from Netflix for its new logo. Veering into the streaming sphere might make sense for a company that sells phone plans, but it’s yet to be seen whether a chicken sandwich purveyor can pull it off.
The news: Ever since singer Troye Sivan left it all on the dance floor in his “Rush” music video, it’s been pretty much impossible to escape his dance moves on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Now he’s using his dance prowess to promote a new product: Gap’s fall denim collection.
The big picture: Sivan teamed up with the company for a 60-second spot choreographed by Sergio Reis, the choreographer behind the “Rush” video. The intense, high-energy ad is called “Get loose,” and it’s meant to emphasize the movement and flow of Gap’s baggy new denim.
Why it matters: The dance-turned-fashion ad is having its moment in the sun this week. On Tuesday, Calvin Klein released an upbeat, sultry spot featuring actress Greta Lee absolutely jamming out to “We Got the Beat” by the Go-Go’s. Both of these ads have a certain grungy, unkempt quality that suggest the “clean girl” trend might finally be coming to a close, ushering in a new Y2K resurgence in fashion and media alike.