A Brew & A Movement
Take a look at a food or beverage label and you’ll often find a story that communicates the product's value to you. That story is intended to forge an emotional connection, to create brand loyalty. Product stories vary widely, from brand-related fictional character backstories to the brand origin stories that share company values. Sometimes the package story is tied to a larger narrative, and sometimes it’s just pure product marketing.
This spring, I’ve been offering narrative strategy services to a company with a message and a mission. Our relationship started with marketing copy, but has evolved. Because they are building a brand AND a movement, I’m now working with the founder on their narrative strategy.
I did a little Ostrichized 4-pack photo shoot on my kitchen counter with my spring blooming orchid, African violet, kiwi fruits and a sweet potato plant in the background. On the can lable you can see the cool ostrich of the brand wearing pink sunglasses in which purple flowers are reflected. They look cool.
In the spring of 2023 the founder of an alcohol-free beverage company was looking for some support with the beverage label. Whitney Nelson had written some text but wasn’t happy with it. They wanted to easily and compellingly convince anyone who picked up a can and read the story that they belonged to a movement, and because they belonged, this beverage was for them!
As I got to know more about Whitney and their brand, Ostrichized, I realized that Whitney wasn’t just a beverage producer, they wanted to change the hearts and minds of people (and that aligns with my work!). The product, a tasty micro-brewed malt beverage with no alcohol, was an entry point into their movement.
Here are three of their main goals:
To create a counter-narrative for LGBTQIA+ folks that pushes back against the ostracization that queer and trans people in recovery from alcohol use disorder often experience within alcohol-centric and substance-promoting environments.
To share their message of belonging beyond the greater recovery community, by encouraging folks who are sober curious, mindful drinkers or even just abstaining temporarily to join in their movement. As they say, “Ostrichized is the brew that lets you do you - no judgement, no shade.”
To increase the use of harm-reduction approaches at restaurants and bars that serve alcohol.
In the spring of 2024 I provided developmental editing, copyediting and line editing support for the label, and just like magic, it was printed and wrapped around cans of Ostrichized.
Ostrichized sold out of its first batch, validated their concept at Twin Cities Pride last summer, and successfully turned a second batch into a small profit for Dry January. There’s a proven market and a desire for their product, and beyond that, for the movement.
Like a lot of company founders in their initial stages, Whitney was scrapping together messaging as they applied for financial support, marketed Ostrichized and reached out to local businesses to carry their product. They had a sense of their story and were creating multiple versions of it, but feeling like the message wasn’t coming across as powerfully or clearly as intended.
So this spring (2025), they reached out to me to start a journey of making their message clear, unmistakable and powerful so that not only their beverage will be embraced, but the movement they dream of can gain traction.
I’m supporting their message and movement by employing the framework of narrative strategy.
What is narrative strategy? How does it differ from communications strategy?
Communications strategy is often centered on marketing practices that use both short and long-term tactics. It uses a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and/or annual calendar for marketing a service, product or event. Communications strategy is the nuts and bolts of how the message gets to consumers (platforms, digital/ analog media), when and how often it reaches them.
Narrative strategy, in contrast, is all about how the messaging of a movement can be clarified and made powerful, so that over time, people’s choices and behavior, cultural trends and even laws and policies will shift. While narrative strategy can be used in many ways, generally it’s engaged in the building of a more peaceful, equitable, just and loving world. It’s a cultural change tool that works to shift people and culture away from harm and toward healing and good.
I’m so excited to join Whitney as their brand is just getting off the ground. It’s exciting to build the narrative strategy right away, which will be so much clearer for people who engage with the company, as opposed to changing the narrative years after the brand has already built its name and distribution network.
Stay tuned for upcoming installations of this case study. I’ll share more about the exciting narrative strategy work Whitney and I are doing together!
