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meeson · Site Admin Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 615

Cask brewers form new body to promote category

Alliance of regionals' marketing gurus bids to raise drink's profile

A new alliance of regional brewers has been formed with the long-term aim of funding a generic marketing campaign for cask beer.

It is hoped that members of The Why Handpull? Marketing Group, an adjunct of brewers cooperative Why Handpull?, will eventually pay a levy towards a campaign promoting cask beer as a category, as opposed to the advertising of individual brands.

The system would be comparable to the meat market’s English Beef and Lamb Executive or British Pig Executive, suppliers’ alliances promoting meat as a category.

The Why Handpull? Marketing Group, comprised of senior marketers from Wells & Young’s, Greene King, Fuller’s, Marston’s and Caledonian, has also made several proposals for the short-term.

It has established terminology which it believes is most effective in promoting cask beer, and which all members will use in marketing. They have agreed to describe their produce as “cask beer” and to talk about “taste”, “flavour”, “Britishness” and “freshness”.

It has also contacted the organisers of the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) and Cask Ale Week, offering to lend its marketing expertise to the 2010 versions of these events.

Why Handpull? members are already supporting the first ever Cask Ale Week, the initiative organised by Cask Marque to drive cask ale sales in pubs between April 6 and 13. However, its Marketing Group is proposing further help with the event next year.

Proposals for the GBBF include Why Handpull? Marketing Group members sitting on its steering committee, measures to make advertising for the festival more effective, augmenting seating areas at the event and improving working conditions for the volunteers who staff it.

Chris Lewis, Wells and Youngs marketing director and a member of The Why Handpull? Marketing Group, said: “There’s something in us talking with one voice to the consumer. If that manifests itself in a cross-industry campaign, we would be really pleased.

“And if we can all contribute to what CAMRA does with the GBBF and what Cask Marque does with Cask Ale Week, we can only add momentum to the good work they are doing.”