the bartender’s choice - marketing society · the bartender’s choice | s trate gic c ate gory -...

T HE B A R T E ND E R ’ S C H O I C E | S T R AT E g I C C AT E g O R y - 1 . 5 IN T E R N AT I O N A l

THE BARTENDER’S CHOICESTR ATEgIC CATEgORy - 1.5 INTERNATIONAl

By luCy CROSS & MARyANNE MuRR Ay 1800 WORDS

&


IN CRAfT BEER, THE MOST pOWERful fORM Of MARkETINg IS WORD Of MOuTH.

THIS IS pARTICulARly TRuE fOR INNIS & guNN, THE AWARD WINNINg, EDINBuRgH BREWER WHOSE CuSTOMERS ARE gREAT BRAND ADvOCATES - AND BRIllIANT SAlESMEN.

AS THEy ExTENDED THE BRAND INTERNATIONAlly, INNIS & guNN SET OuT TO IgNITE THE SAME ‘gROuND up’ MARkETINg SWEll.

THE STORy Of HOW INNIS & guNN ARE BECOMINg THE CRAfT BEER Of CHOICE INTERNATIONAlly – THE BARTENDER’S CHOICE. IT’S A STORy Of BuIlDINg RElATIONSHIpS AND INSpIRINg ADvOCACy RIgHT ON THE fRONT-lINE Of SAlES INTERNATIONAlly.

pRECIS


THIS IS THE BEST EDuCATIONAl TRAININg pROgRAMME fOR TRADE WE HAvE SEEN IN SWEDEN fOR A BEER BRAND. REAlly pIONEERINg AND DIffERENT. THE MATERIAlS ARE fANTASTIC AND WERE RECEIvED ExTREMEly WEll By THE BARTENDERS.

DAvID ASk, MARkETINg DIRECTOR, BERNTSON BR ANDS


BRIEfINg

AS WE ENTERED 2012 THE AppETITE fOR gRE AT BEERS WITH STRONg pROvENANCE AND ARTISAN quAlITIES WAS RE ACHINg AN All TIME HIgH. THE DESIRE fOR NICHE AND SMAll BATCH WAS, AND IS STIll R ApIDly BECOMINg MORE AND MORE MAINSTRE AM.

This presents huge opportunities for the Innis & Gunn brand.

Insight tells us that the craft beer drinker is a discerning customer, rightly so. Innis & Gunn drinkers are loyal customers, and inevitably become powerful advocates for the brand.

The brand’s success to date has owed a great deal to the word of mouth of its customers. Innis & Gunn are very proud of this, and actively nurture this advocacy through a wide brand, digital, sponsorship and social media programme.


THE BRAND CHAllENgE

INNIS & guNN CuSTOMERS lIkE TO fOCuS ON THE BRAND’S CRAfT ROOTS, AND THE CARE AND ATTENTION pAID TO INgREDIENTS, pROCESS AND flAvOuR. INNIS & guNN NEED TO MAkE SuRE THESE CREDENTIAlS NEvER BECOME lOST IN TRANSlATION.

Research and insight has shown that Innis & Gunn customers love to discover the brand themselves, or to be introduced by a trusted source. This experience then encourages them to share their ‘find’ with others, who respond in the same way. And so the word continually spreads.

MEN, 30+EARly ADOpTERS Of NEW THINgS.INTEllIgENT, EClECTIC, DISCERNINg.

vAluE ExpERIENCES OvER pOSSESSIONS.THEy START CONvERSATIONS.

ENgAgED ExplORERS

OuR CuSTOMERS:WHO ARE THEy NOW?

CuSTOMER INSIgHT


A lIkE-MINDED ExplORER

WE SHARE THEIR TASTE fOR ADvENTuRE

AND uNEARTHINg NEW THINgS

CuSTOMER INSIgHT

CuSTOMER INSIgHT

MEN, 25 - 45INTEllIgENT, DISCERNINg, gROWINg.NOT AS EClECTIC OR AvANT-gARDE IN THEIR CHOICES.BuT READy fOR SOMETHINg NEW.THEy CAN THINk fOR THEMSElvES BuT HAppy

TO BE INfluENCED TOO.

MAINSTREAM TRANSITIONAlS

WHO WIll THEy BE IN THE fuTuRE?


STRATEgy

SO HOW TO SERvE THIS THIRST fOR DISCOvERy ON AN INTERNATIONAl lE vEl?

Innis & Gunn decided to make sure their advocate network, on the ground internationally, was as strong, well informed and involved, as it is at home.

THE y’D TAkE A pRO-ACTIvE gROuND-up AppROACH.

If they had to choose one feature of Innis & Gunn beer that has brought success, it’s flavour. It’s what Innis & Gunn is all about. Once it’s been discovered, the hard work of building loyal customers is all but done.

The brand story centres around how Innis & Gunn discovered their unique flavour and how the craft they apply to the brewing process is a major contributor to the quality of the final product.

Leaders in beer and food pairing with a loyal following among food lovers, it’s natural the emphasis on flavour should be continued as the brand extends internationally.

So flavour and craft would feature strongly in this activity.

NE x T INNIS & guNN CONSIDERED MORE ClOSEly THEIR AuDIENCE.

Many discover Innis & Gunn for the first time in specialist bars. Who better to become brand advocates internationally than the bartenders themselves?

So the targets were set.


plANNINg

Of COuRSE, BARTENDERS ARE Of TEN ‘SOlD TO’ By DRINkS BR ANDS.

Usually there’s the odd branded piece of merchandise or incentive on offer. But a traditional merchandise push just didn’t feel on brand with Innis & Gunn. It’s too generic – too mass produced.

Innis & Gunn customers are discerning and well informed. The bartenders who recommend their beers need to be even more so.

So Innis & Gunn stepped back from the beer world and looked at how other craft and artisan brands behaved.

They quickly saw that in fact, an emphasis on the quality and the craft involved in making their beer is what they needed to share.

Innis & Gunn know the bars that serve craft beers, employ staff who are as passionate as they are professional.

What better way to engage with this target than by offering something professionally valuable to the bartenders themselves.

So Innis & Gunn set out to design an education programme offering bartenders the chance to really understand and speak knowledgeably about the product they were serving.

This educational approach, historically taken by wine and whisky makers, is completely new in the beer sector. Immediately the marketing team came up with this idea, there came a buzz from the sales force.

The marketing team recognised this programme could also offer a basis for growing the social media community internationally. So, while the programme itself would be the attraction, they decided to build in a reward to help measure engagement and assess the potential for a future SM campaign.


AMBITIONS & OBJECTIvESTHE pROgRAMME: AN INTERNATIONAl BRAND EDuCATION pROgRAMME fOR BARTENDERS.

OBJECTIvES: INTRODuCE INNIS & guNN TO A HIgHly TARgETED INTERNATIONAl gROup.

EDuCATE AND INSpIRE A gROup Of lEADINg INTERNATIONAl BARTENDERS SO THEy WIll REMEMBER AND RECOMMEND INNIS & guNN TO THEIR CuSTOMERS – fOR All THE RIgHT REASONS.

BuIlD kNOWlEDgE AND ExpERTISE AT ‘THE COAl fACE’ TO ENCOuRAgE AND ENHANCE INTRODuCTIONS TO INNIS & guNN IN NEW INTERNATIONAl MARkETS.

RETAIN AND BuIlD vAluE IN INNIS & guNN’S CRAfT BEER CREDENTIAlS AS THEy ExpAND INTERNATIONAlly.


plANNINg & CONTENT

INNIS & guNN ApplIED THE SAME CARE AND ATTENTION TO DETAIl WITH THE DESIgN Of THE pROgRAMME AS THEy DO WITH THEIR BEERS.

For the pilot campaign, Sweden and Canada were chosen. Two countries, both with established and growing craft beer markets.

Small groups of participants would be invited to take part in an Innis & Gunn Master-class where they would be taken through the brand story and given lessons in process, ingredient selection and flavour combinations.

The session includes an in-depth explanation of key ingredients and insight in to how these are used and why they are selected.


DESIgN

THE INNIS & guNN BRAND AMBASSADOR TAkES EACH gROup THROugH A TASTINg SESSION WITH TOOlS pROvIDED fOR TASTINg NOTES AND TO CApTuRE IDEAS.

A set of materials was commissioned to support the programme, with the same emphasis placed on quality, craft, natural products and flavour discovery.

All materials were created in small batches (just like Innis & Gunn beer) and printed on tactile, uncoated stock.


THE pROgRAMME guIDE IS BRANDED WITH A REAl, ETCHED STAINlESS STEEl BAR BlADE.


IlluSTRATORS lOCATED IN EDINBuRgH, CANADA, NyC AND SWEDEN WERE COMMISSIONED TO pROvIDE CONTENT fOR THE SESSIONS.

THE BARTENDERS BOOk Of BEER INSpIRATION:


COMMISSIONED IlluSTRATIONS COMBINED WITH ARCHIvE pHOTOgRApHS, TypOgRApHy AND INfO-gRApHICS pROvIDED AN uNExpECTED JOuRNEy THROugH THE ClASS NOTES.

AfTER All, IT’S IN INNIS & guNN’S NATuRE TO CREATE uNuSuAl COMBINATIONS.


BARTENDERSCHOICE

OPEN

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

pOSTER


TEASE pOSTERS

THE CHANCE TO DESIGN AND LAUNCH

YOUR OWN BEER WITH INNIS & GUNN

INTERESTED?

[email protected]

to register OPEN

SOO

N

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

INNIS & GUNN BARTENDER'S CHOICE 2012FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@INNISANDGUNNBTC

WWW.INNISANDGUNN.COM

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

WHEN:

WHERE:


COASTERSTHE BEST IDEAS START IN A BAR ON THE BACk Of A BEER COASTER....

AS pEOplE TASTE THE BEERS THEy WRITE THEIR THOugHTS ON THE BACk Of A TASTINg BEER MAT.

THE BARTENDERS CHOICE IDEAS kIT:


pENCIlSEvEN THE pENCIlS ARE THEMED TO ECHO THE IMpORTANCE Of OAk IN OuR pROCESS.



COASTERS



BARTENDER’SCHOICE

COOLING

FERMENTING

?

edinburghdiscovered

2003

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

OAK

SCIE

NCE

COCONUT

VANILLA

CINNAMON

CLOVE

DRIED FRUIT

MARZIPAN

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

PROCESSBREWING

MILLING

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

DIgITAl pRESENTATION


Fruit

y

Fruit

ybalanceCrispApple

biscuitmalt

vibranthop

earthyhop

caramelisedfruit

ripe softfruit

puddinglike

driedfruit

banana

creamy

sweet

toffeebitter

vanillanutty

oakspices

0

1

2

3

4

5

7.4%abv

water, brewers yeast, optic lager malt,

crystal malt, roasted barley,

east kent goldings hops.

aged in rum infused american white oak.

RUM FINISH

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

ATTEND A 1-HOUR INNIS & GUNNTRAINING SESSION

SUBMIT YOUR BEER IDEA TO [email protected]

STAGE 2 WINNERS BROUGHT TO EDINBURGH TO DESIGN THEIR OWN BEER WITH MASTER BREWER, DOUGAL SHARP

BEST BEER RECIPE AND CONCEPT SELECTED AND BOTTLED

WINNING BEER MADE AVAILABLEFOR GENERAL RELEASE IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHINGYOU’D LIKE TO DO, PLEASE CONTACTOUR TEAM THROUGH YOUR LOCALSALES REPRESENTATIVE.

0102

0304

05BARTENDER’S

CHOICE

ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

John, New YorkFugglesFuggles

Saaz

Challenger

Chocolate

Vanilla

Crystal maltAmber Smoked

Roasted

Acid

malt

BarleyPilsner

Pale

Bitter

Stout

Stout

Stout

Stout

Stout

Stout

Wit bier

Hops Caramel

Hazelnut

Red

sweet

Dark brown

Apricot

Apricot

Earthy

AromaCinnamon

Bitterness

Bitterness

Fruit

y

OakGolden

balance

Crisp

Dark BananaClove

Unique

YeastDark brown

Cinnamon

Yeast

Light

Whisky

Barrels ChestnutApple wood

Red woodRum

WineSherry cask

Brandy

Cognac

Balsamic vinegar

Tobassco

Aged

Strong

Cloudy

Rich

SourTart

BodyBurnt

CitrusCitrus

Citrus

Citrus

Dark fruit

LingerBanana

Banana

Body

Sour

Tobacco

Dark BarrelsCloudy

Cloudy

Cloudy

Body

Cha

lleng

erCha

lleng

er

Fuggles

Stout

Stout

Stout

Apple

Apple

AppleAppleApple

Citrus

BARTENDER’SCHOICE

THE BEST BEER RECIPE AND CONCEPT WILL BE BOT TLED AND HAVE THE

WINNING BARTENDER’S NAMESIGNED A CROSS

T HE L A B E L

THE BEST BEER RECIPE AND CONCEPT WILL BE BOT TLED AND HAVE THE

WINNING BARTENDER’S NAMESIGNED A CROSS

T HE L A B E L

DIgITAl pRESENTATION


MEASuRINg SuCCESS

fOR THE pIlOT pROgR AMME SWEDEN AND CANADA WERE TARgETED. fOR COMpARISON INNIS & guNN AlSO R AN THE pROgR AM IN SCOTl AND AND ENgl AND CONCuRRENTly – THE AIM BEINg TO SEE If TAkE up INTERNATIONAlly WOulD MATCH THE uk REgIONS WHERE INNIS & guNN IS AlRE ADy RECOgNISED.

IN fACT, INTERNATIONAl TAkE up OuTSTRIppED THE uk, WITH A WHOppINg 83% Of pARTICIpANTS COMINg fROM OuR CANADA AND SWEDEN TARgETS.

INNIS & guNN SET THEIR SIgHTS ON A SMAll BuT HIgHly fOCuSSED gROup Of 50 TARgET BARS. E ACH BAR WAS INvITED TO SEND 10 BARTENDERS TO THE INITIAl INNIS & guNN TR AININg SESSION. THE AIM WAS TO COMplETE THE fIRST STAgE TR AININg fOR THESE 50 BARS WITHIN 2 MONTHS.


73%Of BARTENDERS INvITED ATTENDED THE MASTERClASS

83%Of pARTICIpANTS CAME fROM OuR CANADA AND SWEDEN TARgETS


COuNTRy

SwedenScotlandCanadaEngland

MONTH

OctoberOctoberNovemberNovember

Total

TARgET SESSIONS

63121

22

ACTuAl SESSIONS

83151

27

BARTENDERS EDuCATED

1273218230

363

pART ONE : upTAkE

INNIS & guNN SET THEIR SIgHTS ON A SMAll BuT HIgHly fOCuSSED gROup Of 50 TARgET BARS. EACH BAR WAS INvITED TO SEND 10 BARTENDERS TO THE INITIAl INNIS & guNN TRAININg SESSION. THE AIM WAS TO COMplETE THE fIRST STAgE TRAININg fOR THESE 50 BARS WITHIN 2 MONTHS.


THE RESpONSE fROM INTERNATIONAl pARTICIpANTS HAS BEEN

OvERWHElMINgly pOSITIvE


IT WAS REAlly gREAT HAvINg yOu HERE SpREADINg yOuR lOvE fOR INNIS & guNN TO OuR SWEDISH BARTENDERS. All THE guyS ARE REAlly ExCITED ABOuT THE BARTENDER’S CHOICE…

gABRIEl ERIkSON, SAlES DIRECTOR, BERNTSON BR ANDS

I WANTED TO SEND A gREAT BIg THANk yOu fOR EvEN CONSIDERINg ME IN yOuR INSpIRINg INTERNATIONAl CONTEST : ) If yOuR gOAl WAS TO gET pEOplE ExCITED ABOuT INNIS & guNN ... AND BEER IN gENERAl - IT WAS OvERWHElMINgly SuCCESSful AlREADy!

JEff O’REIlly, gENER Al MANAgER, D’ARCy MCgEE’S


THANk yOu fOR THE gREAT INNIS & guNN pRESENTATION fOR THE kEg RESTAuRANTS. I lEARNED A lOT.

ANDRE A pAO, BARTENDER, TORONTO

A fEW WEEkS AgO, WE WERE fORTuNATE ENOugH TO HAvE pETE AND ROByN COME DO A BEER TASTINg AT OuR puB. THEy INfORMED uS Of THE upCOMINg BARTENDER’S CHOICE COMpETITION, AND INvITED uS TO ENTER fOR THE CHANCE TO DESIgN AND CREATE OuR OWN INNIS&guNN SpECIAlTy BEER. THE SESSION WAS fANTASTIC. lOvE THE BOOk.

kIERSTON, BARTENDER, THE HIgHl ANDER puB, OT TAWA


pART TWO: ENgAgEMENT

AS AN ADDITIONAl ENgAgEMENT MEASuRE INNIS & guNN DEvISED A COMpETITION fOR BARTENDERS TO puT INTO pRACTICE SOME Of WHAT THEy WOulD lEARN IN THE MASTER-ClASS.

All participants were invited to create their own recipe suggestions, based on what they learnt in the session.

The winning entries would be given the opportunity to visit the home of Innis & Gunn in Edinburgh, where they will work with the Innis & Gunn master brewer to create a batch of Innis & Gunn beer – using their recipe.

The beer will be released as a limited edition, Innis & Gunn Bartender’s Choice beer.


250%pOTENTIAl RETuRN ON ORIgINAl INvESTMENT


RESulTS

DEvISINg A RECIpE AND COMpIlINg AN ENTRy WOulD TAkE SOME TIME AND EffORT. INNIS & guNN HAvE NEvER INvITED THIS TypE Of pARTICIpATION fROM A TRADE AuDIENCE BEfORE. THE IDEAS WOulD NEED TO fIT WITH WHAT pEOplE ExpECT fROM THE INNIS & guNN BRAND AS THE pRODuCT WOulD BE RElEASED lATER IN 2013.

Results would be based on sales of the finished product in Sweden, Canada and the UK. The aim is to sell a very limited quantity of the final beer. Only 5000 cases, which would see a return on original investment of 250%.

PR and media value were also an important metric. After all, this programme was all about creating a buzz in the market with trade, in order to influence consumer buying decisions.

Innis & Gunn have been delighted by the volume and quality of the response, with some wonderful and inventive concepts coming in from all the participating markets.

ENTRIES HAvE BEEN SuBMITTED ON BEERMATS, pOWERpOINT pRESENTATIONS AND INNIS & guNN HAvE EvEN RECEIvED ACTuAl BEERS fOR JuDgINg.

In total, 96 entries have been received.


MAINSTREAMMAINSTREAMMAINSTREAM

CRAfT CRAfT

CRAfT

201520102004

CRAfT IS BOOMINg

SuMMARy


SuMMARy

SINCE INNIS & guNN WAS BORN IN 2003, THE OvERAll glOBAl BEER MARkET HAS BEEN STEADIly SHRINkINg.

By being in tune with changing consumer tastes, and responding to a global appetite for provenance, flavour and individuality, Innis & Gunn has consistently grown its international market share.

Persistent and focussed attention to innovative, international marketing has established a leading position for Innis & Gunn, with awards and commercial success continuing to mount up in the UK, Europe, USA, and Canada.

THE BARTENDER’S CHOICE IS THE lATEST ExAMplE Of HOW INNIS & guNN CONTINuE TO STRATEgICAlly gROW A lEADINg SCOTTISH BRAND INTERNATIONAlly, By pRIORITISINg quAlITy, CRAfT, DESIgN AND CREATIvE MARkETINg.


WORlD fIRSTSfIRST OAk-AgED BEER, fIRST RuM fINISH BEER

INNOvATIvE BuSINESS MODEl

u.S. SAlES DOuBlE

IN THE fIRST HAlf Of 2012

AWARDS gRANDE gOlDS AT MONDE

SElECTION, quEENS AWARD fOR ExpORT

TIER 1DISTRIBuTION

AND ROuTE TO MARkET

#2 AND #3 IMpORT AlE

IN SWEDEN

BEST BREWERMOST AWARDED

IN SCOTlAND

#3 SpEC BEER BRAND IN uk

#1 BRITISH

BOTTlED BEERIN CANADA

SuMMARy

THANk yOu fOR yOuR fuN AND EDuCATIONAl SEMINAR THAT I TOOk pART IN IN TORONTO, IT WAS A REAl plEASuRE TO TAkE pART.

JONNy gREy, BARTENDER, TORONTO

the bartender’s choice - marketing society · the bartender’s choice | s trate gic c ate gory -...

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