Marketing: Attention please
Attracting more custom than the pub up the road has always been the name of the game - now it's more true than ever. Phil Mellows looks at marketing.
Marketing is no longer the preserve of the junior executive, looking like they are too young to even go into a pub, their heads full of jargon and daft ideas about how you should be able to sell more beer.
As the fight for the leisure pound has grown more fierce, marketing has moved into the frontline and should be part of the armoury of every publican.
For Adam Collett, marketing director of Greene King Pub Company, "marketing is essential".
"The industry has become very competitive and you need to promote all nights of the week," he says.
"You've got to have sales growth, got to have more people through the door, got to have events that gives customers a reason to go to the pub."
Traditionally, marketing for pubs has taken an off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all-approach. A promotions kit arrives on the brewery dray and it is largely a matter of luck whether it suits the business and its customers, or whether the licensee can be bothered to actually use it.
It is a problem brewers have grappled with for decades. But now Greene King, with the help of internet technology, seems to have found a possible solution.
Over the past year the company has been rolling out its marketing toolkit, which is now being used by 90 per cent of the 550-strong managed estate.
Basically, through their computer, licensees have access to a virtual catalogue of marketing and promotional tools which they can tailor to their own pub and order online.
"In the past, pub cellars just filled up with lots of paper and stuff - all the promotional materials that licensees didn't use," says Adam.
"The industry was in a rut, shipping out huge volumes, much of which was going to waste.
"We realised that the only way we were going to change things was to work from the pub managers upwards."
The idea of the toolkit emerged 18 months ago. "We were providing pubs with lots of things that looked great - but they didn't always reach the consumer," Adam admits. "It was a waste of effort and money and we were lacking flexibility.
"Now managers can choose their own promotions. Head office provides them with the flexibility and it frees them to concentrate on running great pubs, putting the onus on them being entrepreneurial.
"The toolkit turns the way you promote on its head. The pub chooses what it does and tailors events to its own customers. It makes us more customer-focused.
"The great thing about pubs is their individuality so it's good to tailor promotions as much as possible, to give each a distinct character."
Publicans have always knocked up their own posters and flyers, of course. But the Greene King toolkit enables them to produce higher quality materials that means, as Adam puts it, the marketing is "local but professional".
"People will judge how good your entertainment is going to be by how it's promoted. We need to be more sophisticated in our industry. We should be leading the way among the retailers on the high street," Adam argues.
The internet-based system that Greene King decided to go with for its toolkit was devised by a company called Documedia.
Licensees can download the templates for posters and so on from a website, customise them and order however many they need.
This system cost the brewer £500,000 but, as Adam points out, "there is a huge saving on distribution".
"We were sending out tons of printed matter that wasn't being used. The toolkit is a good investment," he says. "There are only a handful of pubs where it doesn't fit, where they use only chalkboards, for instance.
"We were worried at first that a lot of our licensees wouldn't be comfortable with using the technology. For some it was a big learning curve. These things are normally done for them. So we needed a lot of consultation. It's not something we would force licensees to use."
Greene King has appointed 38 area champions from among its managers to share best practice in using the toolkit and help train others.
Case Study: the Old Punch Bowl, Crawley, Sussex
For Nicola Spiers, manager of the Old Punch Bowl in Crawley, West Sussex, the Greene King marketing toolkit has been nothing short of inspirational.
"I go online and do my ordering about every six weeks," she says. "And it gives me the inspiration for what we can do next."
And the Old Punch Bowl certainly doesn't seem short of entertainment ideas. In the town's high street, the pub faces tough competition and discounting from the major chain bars but fights back with a lively programme of events.
As well as posters advertising up-coming attractions there are flyers in the lobby that customers can pick up to remind them about what's happening.
Nicola has also enhanced the toolkit by laminating posters that will stay up a long time or that she is likely to use again.
The hard sell with Peter Segal
Here are 10 questions to ask yourself when marketing your pub.
- What am I trying to achieve and how will I measure my success?
Are you trying to attract new customers or encourage your current customers to visit more often? Perhaps there is a particular time of the week when you think you could make some extra sales.
For example, you may want to encourage custom after 9pm on a Saturday as the pub is very quiet at this time. Success can be measured by the uplift in sales after 9pm on a Saturday.
Who am I targeting?
You need to have an audience in mind to ensure the content and style of your marketing activity is relevant and impactful.
Do I know what my target audience want?
After identifying your target speak to them and find out what they are drinking, buying, watching and listening to.
What is the unique selling point (USP) that I am going to promote?
If you are going to market the pub you need to identify the things that make it stand out from the competition, for instance the beer garden or family room, then shout about it.
Does your marketing effectively communicate to your target audience?
Communicate clearly and in a style that talks in the language of the target audience.
How do I get my marketing message to the target audience?
For new customers the marketing will need to be outside the pub on boards, in windows or in the local press. The most effective mechanism is word of mouth so get your staff on board with the message.
Does my marketing have an extra hook to encourage customers to come to me?
Think of ways to get customers to actively respond to your marketing, not just saying "that sounds good" but "let's go there!" Marketers call this the "call to action".
Does the activity fit with my pub image and personality?
Ensure that your marketing message fits with the overall image of the pub - unless your intention is to change this image. A poster done in the style of a trendy nightclub may give the wrong message to those who think of your pub as a family pub for Sunday lunch.
Can I get a supplier involved?
Suppliers may have giveaways or funding you can use to support your marketing, for example a spirits company might sponsor a DJ night. You will need to sell the benefits of the activity to them though.
Is there a way to generate PR through the activ
