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Appalachia Cookie Company
http://appcookieco.comthe problem
When Holloman and Bateman first started talking about a brand
refresh, Bateman hadn’t actually tasted any of the cookies. “I knew
that the product was out there,” he recalls, “but I’d never sampled
it. I think Dave’s done a great job in building a name, and he also
does a good job of marketing to the right demographic. I have
three children in the school system, and they’re all very aware of
the Appalachia Cookie Company.”
But Bateman felt that the logo the company had launched with
was “a little too cartoony.” “We didn’t feel that it evoked enough
of a brand that was going to appeal to a long-term consumer,” he
says. He thought the company could build a brand and a business
that could not just stand on its own but be taken national—not
just the business model, but the brand itself.
To that end, he thought it would be possible to reinvent the
cookie as a lifestyle choice rather than just a product. “I wasn’t
involved in the naming of it,” Bateman continues, “but I think
that intrinsically there’s some power to the word Appalachia
as opposed to Appalachian. Appalachian is more of a proper
name for the mountain range, whereas Appalachia evokes more
of the community spirit.” As a region, Appalachia is cohesive
despite spreading over a large area and multiple states, Bateman
believes, and it’s known for its entrepreneurial endeavors—like
the cookie company.
Bateman also wanted to come up with an identity that would
be Southern without being too distinctly Southern. “The recent
trend in graphic design has brought in a lot of retro styling themes
and some elements that might be more easily recognized as
Southern,” he says. “But we wanted something that was going
to be bold without being overly bold, and be Southern without
being overly Southern, and be very distinctive without being weird
or too one-of-a-kind. We tried to find a balance.”APPALACHIA COOKIE COMPANY
Appalachia Cookie Company describes itself on its website as “a late-night delivery service located in Boone, NC.” The company specializes in offering cookies and
brownies baked to order and delivered while still hot, in particular to hungry students at Appalachian State University. The website also promises, “We know that
you can’t very well have cookies without milk, that’s why we also offer cold milk delivery as well as hot chocolate and freshly roasted, high-quality, fair trade, organic
coffee.... We are proud to use high-quality ingredients and, when possible, locally sourced ingredients. Listen, we understand that sometimes you just want something
sweet and don’t want to leave the house. Now, you don’t have to.”
The company also does catering and has a mail-order service for nationwide delivery. Its stated commitment is “not only to bake and deliver a high-quality product
to our customers but also to better the community in which we operate. A healthy community means a healthy business.”
about the client