Brewing a Brand Under a Global Spotlight
Customer
BERO
Services
UX/UI Design
Custom Shopify Development
Email Marketing
CRO
Loyalty Strategy
eCommerce Strategy
Ongoing Design Support
Ongoing Dev Management
OOH
Tom Holland makes fantastic non-alcoholic beer.
That alone should be enough. That sentence is doing a lot of work already. But what makes it interesting, and we mean pull up a chair interesting, is how the thing launched. Because this wasn’t a tidy and calm go-to-market with nice little timelines and a bow on top.
BERO was backed by infamous consumer fund, Imaginary Ventures (actually real, we checked), and a founder whose face tends to break the internet at least twice a year. The product was being perfected behind the scenes and the visual identity was still in development. There were literal hours between some decisions and the people seeing them live.
And in the middle of all that, standing there calmly with a laptop and a ‘No Way Home’ poster that Tom H could sign if he wanted to but no pressure, was pb+j. The agency.
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“From our very first call, we were hooked! Tom’s ability to listen deeply and genuinely understand our vision was evident right from the start. It quickly became clear that pb+j would be the perfect extension of our team - ready to go above and beyond while making the process fun and enjoyable. We trusted our hunch, but we didn’t anticipate finding such a gem of a partner!
Tom and his team have truly felt like part of ours, tirelessly contributing ideas, finding solutions, pushing boundaries, and always ready to lend a hand to our cross-functional teams. Our partnership with pb+j has been nothing short of exceptional, and if we were to make the choice again, we’d choose them without hesitation.”
- Cécile P., VP Digital & eCommerce
When BERO came to us, the only thing set in stone was the launch date.
DTC was the only channel for the first four months, which meant the website was the brand. It had to carry the entire identity on its back, like a varsity quarterback with a broken O-line and a crowd full of investors. (Go sports!)
Our job was to balance design, performance, QA, and vibes under celebrity-level scrutiny. That’s where it got fun.
Because while the product was still being bottled, we were sketching wireframes. While the brand was finalizing its palette, we were tuning email flows. There wasn’t a linear path through this thing. We were dancing while sprinting. We were baking the cake while guests were licking their forks. We were building the plane while… well, you get it. Our teams moved together like we’d trained for it.
It was a bolt-on partnership. One to one. Real-time.
The collaboration blurred every line between agency and client. We were as BERO as the BERO team. Flying to New York and scribbling notes on napkins, as you do. There’s always a level of excitement about a launch, but the celeb factor was nudging this one to a whole new place. Sitting at the table with the founders and leadership, we knew the world was watching.
The website was the one place where people could finally meet BERO.
All the headlines, whispers, sightings, and social teases ended in a click. And that click paid off.
The UI had edge. The flow made sense. And the tone walked in like it already had a tab open. Every interaction was tuned to match the polish of a brand that was still being born behind the curtain. It was the kind of online experience that made you lean forward in your chair and think, wait, this is non-alc?
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“I can’t possibly summarize how instrumental you’ve been to BERO. This partnership has been foundational, and it’s been such a joy to work with you all. You’ve made the process fun, collaborative, and inspiring. You are a truly talented bunch, led by the best two co-founders PB&J could ever spread on top.“
- Cécile P., VP Digital & eCommerce
AND THEN, quietly but very loudly, the membership program was born.
Want in? Then step in. There will be NO coupons or confetti. Everyone just be cool.
We built a loyalty program that felt like a friend letting you into a side door, where the lights are a little lower and the non-alc beer is just for you. Plus some perks and just a smattering of access. People felt like they were part of BERO before most of them even knew what it was.
Points? Ick. BERO’s membership made early fans feel like insiders, not coupon clippers. The instant reward was like a sugar rush. Thousands signed up in launch week.
BERO became the first beverage brand in the world to launch an omni-channel loyalty system at a scale that big. Customers felt like part of the brand before they’d even cracked a can. More than 2,000 loyalty members in week one. Over 13,000 emails captured pre-launch. The thing hadn't even shipped and it already had a fanbase.
Although no one had signed our poster yet.
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“I love it! The site is fantastic. I’m a sucker for it. It’s very inviting and the message and essence of the brand is really apparent. The membership program is really cool, guys. It’s a gamechanger. I think you guys have absolutely smashed it out of the park. You’ve nailed it.”
(While this is real feedback and words, it is not a formal endorsement or testimonial, even if we both got it tattooed.)
- Tom H., Founder
“Tom and Kyle have built an agency that is one of the most collaborative partners I have ever worked with… They have not only been an instrumental part of bringing the BERO brand world to life with our website and loyalty program, but also literally stepped into the weeds with us to make every moment of our launch a success. Their team is creative, enthusiastic, and quick (in both speed and in wit) and is a pleasure to do business with. We’re excited about a future of continued collaboration!”
- Jackie W., VP Head of Marketing & Commercial
On October 16th, 2024, the world showed up.
Press exploded, and coverage flew across platforms. TV, PR, and social hype hit hard for two straight weeks. Hundreds of millions of impressions all pointed to the site.
There were real journalists asking real questions, and also people on TikTok doing questionable things with product mockups. We were so proud of ourselves.
People flowed through and signed up, then bought it and came back. The numbers lifted like a balloon with a dream. Orders cleared 2,000 in week one. The loyalty base filled faster than we thought was possible. And the checkout process was clean as a fresh shave on opening night.
When the variety 12-pack sold out on launch day, we we there. In full spandex bodystockings and marine-level tactical gear.
Maybe it was overkill. Or maybe it was exactly what the situation called for. Because right then on the boardroom table, we combined a 6-pack of each SKU and gave life to an impromptu variety 18-pack. Bundle, merchandizing, back-end inventory… all solved in real time. Then Kyle broke a window on the 27th floor with a bottle, and we both rappelled down the side like we’d practiced.
“It was a perfect launch,” said our client.
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“They have not only been an instrumental part of bringing the BERO brand world to life with our website and loyalty program, but also literally stepped into the weeds with us to make every moment of our launch a success. Their team is creative, enthusiastic, and quick (in both speed and in wit) and is a pleasure to do business with. We’re excited about a future of continued collaboration!”
- Jackie W., VP Head of Marketing & Commercial
Cue the UK.
Tom H’s homeland was important. Expansion overseas meant translating for copy and culture. Fortunately, we speak many dialects of cool. We kept the polish and adjusted for timezone, tea breaks, and the proper way to spell colour. And while all of that was rolling along, we kept building.
Beyond the browser.
We got Tom’s non-alc beer on everything. Billboards in Times Square, The Grove in LA, and a REAL BIG ASS BLIMP, you guys.
From the campaign creative to the Amazon storefront, email strategy, loyalty program, and packaging inserts, we rolled out the brand as a full system, and it all worked together beautifully. We even wrapped the delivery trucks, because everyone deserves to wear something nice to a party.
And as the trucks drove by and the blimp floated overhead and the billboard lit up with floodlights, we stopped caring about our poster. Kind of.
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“Partnering with Tom, Kyle and the rest of the team at pb+j is truly unlike agency experiences at large. From kick-off through launch, they have truly been a sentimental extension of our team providing passion, insights, expertise, and incredible capabilities. pb+j was a thought partner, creative sounding board, and and in-the-trench executor that not only brought our vision to life but amplified, improved, and built upon our hopes and ideas.”
- John H., CEO
We pulled it off with a grin and a pulse.
BERO needed an entrenched partner, and that’s what we gave them. Anything that shaped how customers experienced the brand landed in our kitchen. We were adapting and creating in real time to make sure every piece of the brand universe worked together, and that everything supported the launch.
pb+j became BERO’s fractional eComm department, steering a complex, high-stakes GTM launch and making it look effortless on the outside. It was tight, and it was super fun. We might’ve peaked in life, but we’re ok with it.
After 19 months of working Tom-by-Tom, BERO is still scaling like a boss. And pb+j is still at the table, building retention and loyalty with the same energy we brought on day one. Sipping non-alc beer at 8am.
