Jimmy John’s Rebrand

SPEEDING IN A NEW DIRECTION

Founder Jimmy John Liautaud was at a crossroads. The sandwich-crafting venture he’d built from the ground up was achieving solid regional success. But with significant franchise expansion, he was eager to show the world that his namesake endeavor promises more than just a super quick lunch. He was ready to turn Jimmy John’s into an admired and beloved national brand.

REFRAMING THE RACE

We began by immersing ourselves in both the category landscape and existing Jimmy John’s culture. Through interviews with key brand stakeholders, front line employees and target consumers, we uncovered fresh insights into what sandwich lovers truly crave–and more critically–why? Then we translated our strategic findings into an updated brand story, visual language and set of core values, all designed to breathe new life into Jimmy John’s marketing efforts and internal culture.

TOOLS, NOT RULES

We outlined a path for future creative by developing a new style guide: THE JIMMY WAY: Living our Brand. Expressly designed to inspire rather than prescribe, its various sections are geared toward contemporizing the visual expression of the brand across store environments, product presentation and advertising. The guide authenticates the brand by transforming the unique, larger-than-life persona of its founder into a living, breathing venture that’s big-hearted and eager to gobble up life, yet laser-focused on the things that matter most to sandwich lovers everywhere.