The Brief
A new visual brand for the Prairie Hotel.
The Prairie Hotel in Parachilna is one of Australia’s iconic tourist destinations. Owned by the Fargher family, The Prairie is more than just a country pub. With a unique food offering – including its famous ‘feral feast’ – high-end lodge accommodation, a new brewery, wine range and bespoke tourism experiences, the Prairie brand is the cornerstone of the family business.
In 2021, the Fargher family approached Fuller to develop a new brand that would take the business into its next generation while maintaining its outback roots and authenticity.
Discovery
Fuller brought the family together for a collaborative workshop to hear the complete Prairie story, understand its original purpose and motivations, and explore the ambitions of the second generation.
We also undertook desktop research to understand the Prairie Hotel's position across three key markets: the outback pub market, including Birdsville and Blinman; remote luxury accommodation, including the Royal Mail and El Questro; and the bush luxury market, represented by brands such as R.M.Williams, Akubra and Driza-Bone.
Positioning
The research revealed a distinctive point of difference: luxury in a remote setting.
This became the foundation for the brand's positioning, expressed through an elevator statement:
“An unexpected oasis of luxury accommodation, fine food and wine and relaxation amongst the red plains and blue skies on the edge of South Australia's ancient Flinders Ranges.”
The tagline, Beyond Expectation, captured the sense of discovery and surprise that makes the Prairie such a distinctive destination, hundreds of kilometres from anywhere.
Visual Identity
The central expression of the new brand was a distinctive visual identity drawing on the blues and ochres of the outback, complemented by visual cues from American frontier imagery.
The resulting identity balanced the Prairie Hotel's authentic outback heritage with its unexpected offering of luxury, creating a visual language that could carry the family business into its next generation.
Brand Activation
The new brand was documented in a comprehensive brand guide and applied across a range of customer touchpoints, including signage, merchandise, advertising and the Prairie's new beer range.
With the new brewery nearing completion, Fuller also planned further photography and video production to reinforce the hotel's luxury positioning, alongside a digital campaign to support the destination as post-COVID travel resumed.
