Jacob Bromwell

The problem

Bromwell Housewares came to us with an interesting problem. The company (founded in 1819 by frontier entrepreneur Jacob Bromwell) was one of the oldest active companies in the United States, yet their brand was almost unknown, and they weren’t doing a good job telling their own story.

Here’s what their website looked like when they first came to us:

Jacob Bromwell's old website

As you can see, they were missing out on a lot of the overall experience potential customers could be having with this amazing, historical brand.

The solution

Getting to know the man behind the brand
Our first step was to get to know the man behind the company so we could truly understand the origins of the brand. We began researching Jacob Bromwell himself, including researching his genealogy, and found him to be a truly all-American character: a veteran of the War of 1812 who drifted down the Ohio River on a flatboat with a handful of wire looms, launching a new business just at the start of the “Panic of 1819,” America’s first real financial crisis.

Creating a rich brand experience
Inspired by Jacob Bromwell’s personal story, we developed a brand experience based around the man himself, whose hard-working, inventive, and cheerful character shines through even nearly two centuries later. We developed a rich visual and verbal style that reflects the company’s colorful history, deep character, and authentic manufacturing processes (which are still used today).

The visual strategy includes textures that pioneers would have seen or used as they crossed the United States in the 1800s, such as burlap, leather, and wood. Meanwhile, the brand’s messaging and verbal strategy creates a lighthearted sense of warmth and excitement.

(And yes, that’s Jacob Bromwell’s actual signature!)

Jacob Bromwell's new logo

Sharing an American classic with modern consumers

Ultimately, the brand, website, and packaging were completely renovated, including changing the name from “Bromwell Housewares” to “Jacob Bromwell” in order to reflect the most important elements of its history and pave the way for a promising future.

Spiffy new packaging

Feeling the experience at every touchpoint

We’re proud of our involvement with this great American company and of the new brand experience we were able to create for them. Bromwell’s products and packaging even got a shout-out from well-known agency Brains of Fire, who remarked:

“I don’t know about you, but owning a piece of flimsy tin isn’t very inspiring. Owning a ‘precious piece of American history?’ Now that’s pretty cool…Knowing the story behind our little stovetop wonder added a heckuva lot more value to it, and created a prime opportunity for word of mouth.”

Visit Jacob Bromwell online at http://jacobbromwell.com/ to take your own trip through the old West.

A brand new site with old-world charm