Ei Publican Partnerships, the UK’s leading leased and tenanted pub business and part of Ei Group, has launched a major nationwide campaign urging consumers to celebrate their love for pubs, with the goal of driving footfall and sales in the coming weeks.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day and key trading occasions such as Mother’s Day and St Patrick’s Day, the Love Your Pub campaign is designed to ignite consumer interest in Great British pubs, reinforcing their role at the heart of local communities. During the six-week campaign period, consumers will have the chance to win beer for a year at the 1,000+ participating pubs, as well as being able to claim a free pint via a BOGOF offer at www.freedrinkoffer.co.uk. Participating brewers include Heineken, Molson Coors, Diageo and Meantime.
Pubs signing up will be further supported by an engaging digital and social media campaign, bespoke point-of sale materials, including banners, posters and beer mats, entertainment ideas and digital assets – all designed to help create a buzz among existing customers, as well as driving additional consumer traffic. Publicans can also nominate themselves as a community champion through the Great British Pubs Facebook page for the chance to win one of a number of free barrels of beer from an array of supporting regional brewers including Greene King, Exmoor Ales, Marston’s, Wadworth and Timothy Taylor’s.
To further drive awareness of the new campaign, Ei Publican Partnerships has conducted in-depth consumer research which demonstrates the public’s enduring love of the Great British pub.
Key findings show that 18.2m* people consider themselves regulars at their local pub and 13m say it’s important for them to live within walking distance of a good pub. Furthermore, 6.2m people claim their happiest memories were made in a pub.
One in four respondents believe an important role of the publican is to act as community champion, and more than a quarter (27%) believe pubs are the best place to raise money for local charities or good causes. The pub’s role as the original social network is illustrated by the fact that 21.8m state their local is the best place to socialise with others from their community.
Other findings include:
- 27% say they visit their local pub at least once a week
- 10% would pay more for a house if it was near to a good pub
- 25% met their partner for the first time in a pub
- Top well-known landlord / landlady that pub-goers would like to be served by are: Al Murray (The Pub Landlord), Mick Carter (EastEnders), Peggy Mitchell (EastEnders).
Ei Publican Partnerships pub Ye Olde Red Lion, York is one of hundreds across the UK taking part in the Love Your Pub campaign. Publican Chris East said: “Any initiative that highlights the value pubs bring to their local communities is definitely worth supporting. That’s why Love Your Pub is such an exciting campaign and one that Ye Olde Red Lion is fully embracing. We’ve got a fantastic range of events lined up in the coming weeks designed to create a buzz, including a psychic night, speed dating, a performance from a former X Factor finalist and a great Mother’s Day celebration. I’m looking forward to serving happy customer in my pub.”
Steve de Polo, Customer Director at Ei Group, added: “Pubs are the beating hearts of many communities and the value of a great local pub to people cannot be overstated. Our new Love Your Pub campaign is all about prompting consumers to celebrate that enduring value and the major role they play in everyday lives.
“Our purpose has always been, and remains, to enable our publicans to boost footfall and grow profitability through a range of support tools and broader initiatives, like Love Your Pub, that help them build sustainable businesses. As the leading pub company in the UK, we are truly passionate about pubs and look forward to hearing how publicans up and down the country benefit from this exciting campaign.”
The research was carried out online by Opinion Matters in January 2018 amongst a panel of 2,126 UK adults.