Prairie Hotel | Work | Fuller Brand Communication

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 the ‘feral feast’ – high-end lodge accommodation, a new brewery, wine range and bespoke tourism offers, The Prairie brand is the cornerstone of the family business.

In 2021 the Fargher family approached Fuller to help them develop a new brand that would take the business into the next generation while maintaining its outback roots and authenticity.

Insights & Strategy, Brand Story & Identity, Communication & PR

Strategy

Fuller brought the family together in a workshop to hear the complete Prairie story and understand more about its early purpose and motivation, and the goals of the second generation.

We also undertook desktop research to determine where the Prairie Hotel was positioned in the outback pub market (Birdsville, Blinman), the remote luxury accommodation sector (eg Royal Mail, El Questro) and the bush luxury market (RM Williams, Akubra, Drizabone).

The main message was that the Prairie Hotel has a unique point of difference: luxury in a remote setting.

The elevator statement is “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 new tagline, ‘Beyond Expectation’, described this “surprise package” hundreds of kilometres from anywhere.

Results

The main activation was a new visual brand using the blues and ochres of the outback and cues from US frontier imagery.

The brand guide has been applied to signage, merchandise, and advertising and the new beer range.

When the new brewery is completed, Fuller will undertake a video and photoshoot to reinforce the new luxury messaging and has offered to assist with a digital campaign once post-COVID travel resumes.