Beer brands in the UK have embraced digital marketing tools to strengthen their relationships with their most important customers: store and pub and owners. While e-commerce gets most of the of press and is growing quickly for CPG brands in the UK, most beer is still sold directly in stores and pubs, making it crucial for beers brands to always be in stock and dominate the shelf and bar.

Although beer brands face additional regulatory hurdles compared to other CPG categories, the examples of top brands like Heineken and Carlsberg should be a wake-up call for brand managers in other struggling categories, where the only means of growth is cannibalising rivals. Our index of beer brands in the UK in 2016, Heineken and Carlsberg stood out for the depth of support they offered their vendors to encourage loyalty through digital channels.

Sales and rewards

Major beer enterprises have innovated in the UK with corporate loyalty programs aimed at store and pub owners. Carlsberg’s “We Deliver More” offers a full suite of services for pub owners that stock Carlsberg products. The program sells beer and POS products, offers training based on consumer data, and features a calendar of football matches and holidays for pub owners to plan events. Pub owners that order Carlsberg products can earn “Carlsberg Credits,” which can be traded for prizes. The site features numerous links for prospective members to contact customer service to learn more and get started. While “We Deliver More” has great desktop tools, the site is not mobile optimised, despite displaying strong SEO for mobile, and does not offer an app.

Marketing materials

In addition to easing transactions, Carlsberg helps pub owners create their own marketing materials. The “We Deliver More” site links to “Premier Sports Club Marketing,” which offers tools for pub-owners to create marketing materials for football matches and other events. Pub Owners can access pre-made, branded Facebook and Twitter posts to share with their fans or promote upcoming football or rugby union events with custom social media posts. The site also offers subscriptions for monthly sports posters featuring upcoming events. And the homepage, there is a simple tutorial video to teach pub owners how to get started. Unlike the main “We Deliver More” site, “Premier Sports Club Marketing” is mobile optimised, allowing pub owners to create materials and post them from their mobile devices.

Point-of-sale

Heineken has gone a step further, serving as a pub-owner as well as supplier. Heineken’s “Star Pubs and Bars” is a franchise program that allows prospective pub owners to lease pubs from Heineken, starting with its strong online platform. The program’s site has a number of novel features designed to streamline the leasing process, like pub vacancy alerts and downloadable educational guides on how to run a pub. To promote the program, Heineken has invested in web advertising with calls to action encouraging prospective pub lessees to “kick start your very own business.” For Heineken, the program serves as supplementary revenue from pub leases and ensures that these pubs are stocked with its entire portfolio of beer and cider products.

While leasing points of sale is not applicable or advisable for most other CPG brands or categories, the innovations in digital that Heineken and Carlsberg have shown should serve as a benchmark for other brands. When the market is flat, it is crucial for brands to ensure that they are top of mind for their vendors.

 

By Bill Duffy, research lead at L2 Inc.

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