Comment: Supplier investment to be applauded

There are some beer brands that are safe bets for licensees, and two of the biggest will be even safer over the next few months.

Budweiser and Guinness have such high profiles that they are always going to be ordered by customers. And the profile of both is set to grow even further thanks to significant promotional campaigns announced this week.

Budweiser was the prize InBev was going after when it bought Anheuser Busch, and it was only a matter of time before it got round to the advertising campaign it has now unveiled. And Diageo plus a load of celeb friends will be creating a buzz around Guinness by urging drinkers to join in a toast to the 250th anniversary of the drink.

This is another example of how worthwhile it is to keep an eye on which suppliers are advertising. The more the names of these brands are seen by potential customers in newspapers, on TVs and on billboards, the less effort it is going to take your staff to shift them. It is stating the obvious to suggest you would be well advised to order in Bud and the Black Stuff in anticipation of the increased demand that will come off the back of these promotions.

AB InBev and Diageo may ultimately be motivated by wanting to sell more of their products, but anything that makes the brands on sale in pubs more attractive has to be applauded in this time of belt-tightening.