Launching A Brand:Bringing a World-Class Venue to the World

“Inspired” is most certainly the reaction elicited by the extensive body of work Roskelly accomplished in the launch of the all-new Carnegie Abbey Club. This “millionaires’ retreat” located just outside Newport, Rhode Island, includes Scottish Links golf, tennis, world-class yachting on the Narragansett, a European Spa and fine dining facilities. At the time in existence only five years, the club was purchased by J. Brian O’Neill’s O’Neill Properties Group in 2005.

O’Neill’s goal was to raise the level of both actual and perceived luxury of the entire estate, while introducing it to America and the world on a grand scale, in an effort to bolster the value of the company’s real estate development underway on property adjacent to the club itself.

Roskelly was awarded the opportunity to completely redefine the club – according to Brian O’Neill’s extraordinarily-demanding standards – including establishing dramatically heightened awareness of the club on an international scale ensuring the perception that the club was not only unique but was, frankly, second to none other in the world.

First, by defining the club as “A Private Sporting Estate” and extolling its incomparable attributes through masterfully-composed photographic and video imagery, in print advertising, on the web, through all printed collateral pieces and in every public relations venue – for varied cultures and multiple languages – Roskelly provided O’Neill with the foundation required to build one success upon another.

Working closely with O’Neill’s onsite executive for brand development, Rip Muhlenhaupt (Rip is now a member of the Roskelly Team itself), Tom Roskelly’s creative talents were unleashed in new, previously-unexplored directions. By together creating “The World Leadership Guest Series” brand, its individual events’ themes and tenor and all associated collaterals, Rip orchestrated the Rhode Island appearances of former Presidents of the United States George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton, last President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, Prince Albert II of Monaco, sports stars, celebrities, and authors.

Further along in the multi-year process, Roskelly re-developed the club’s already successful graphic identity in a way that strategically improved the international traveler’s perception of the club’s desirability by focusing on its most valuable asset, the Narragansett Bay, and world-class yachting. Roskelly designed the club’s new “burgee logo” (the nautical flag that symbolizes a ship’s ownership) for selective deployment on high-end clothing items, golf balls and carts, restaurant menus, in advertising and on collaterals for both the club itself and the adjoining real estate development, The Carnegie Tower and Royal Cottages.

Additionally, Roskelly contributed significantly to the success of Carnegie Abbey’s annual sponsorship of, and identity with, the Newport Bucket mega-yacht race, again raising awareness of the club’s world-class stature internationally.

Truly, “inspired” is the one word to describe the work Roskelly has developed on behalf of The Carnegie Abbey Club and its owner, J. Brian O’Neill. And the world has certainly taken notice.