Frawley | Branding and Marketing Agency

Our Work / Morrison’s

Rebranding a Century Old Family Owned Bar & Kitchen

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Client Testimonial

Leo & Saundra Morrison, Directors

“What an amazing company. Couldn’t recommend Frawley enough. The best thing we ever did!”

The Background

Established prior to 1896, Morrison’s is a Limerick landmark with a proud history and family tradition in serving the community of the Ballysimon area for generations.

The Brief

We were challenged to reposition a pub with long-standing roots in the Ballysimon area of Limerick. Influencing a perception that has been around for over 100 years is a brief we relished. Our approach was to conduct customer research, develop a brand strategy and bring it to life through creative brand design. Once the brand was developed, we activated the brand’s new positioning and look & feel across print, online and signage brand touchpoints.

Research & Insights

Research revealed that the Morrisons’ story is a key differentiator. Official records prove that the pub has been in the family since 1896 (anecdotally we know the family held the license even prior to this date). It was even more interesting to learn that it was Jane Morrison who was documented as the license owner in 1906 – ‘the first Morrison’ as such. For over a century, Morrison’s has built a family business and name that is synonymous in the community of Ballysimon and has gotten the fundamentals right. It has great food and service and some of the customer feedback has even referred to the establishment as being ‘homely’.

However, we believe there is a great opportunity to leverage the story behind the name. To move forward, we must first look back at an era when Ireland won its Independence. When we discovered an embellishment on the old Guinness bottle in Leo Senior’s possession that had pre-dated 1928 (probably between 1922 – 1928), it had an S/E marking which refers to ‘Saorstát Eireann’ or the ‘Irish Free State’, referencing the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922. In addition to this, we found Jane Morrison’s name on the label as the licensee.

Brand Strategy

Brand Name, Category and Positioning

Morrison’s of Ballysimon

Bar & Kitchen

A Proud Family Tradition Since 1896

Morrison’s is a landmark establishment in the Ballysimon Commons townland that has served the community since 1896. We have introduced the word ‘Ballysimon’ to the business name to give the establishment a significance of location within the community.

Originally a pub and, having adapted to customer demands, the business started serving food in 2001. With a key focus on growing the food business for Leo and Saundra, we needed to clearly define what Morrison’s does today. Having considered words such as ‘bar & restaurant’, ‘gastro pub’ or ‘pub & lounge’ and so on, none fitted with the overall brand and story of a simple, proud, hard-working family business. So, in keeping with the brand, we added ‘Bar and Kitchen’ to the business name.

Taking inspiration from this deep sense of history and pride, we have introduced ‘A proud family tradition since 1896’ highlighting the business’ key differentiator.

Brand Identity Design

We have taken inspiration from the S/E embellishment font style found on the side of an old Guinness bottle displayed inside.

S/E meaning Saorstát Eireann (Irish Free State) gives a real sense of Irish history that serves as a reminder of how long this family run business has been operating.

Using this font style, which was also used in the first coinage of the Irish Free State, and adding ‘JM’ (Jane Morrison’s) monogram reinforces the personal ‘signature’ of authenticity.