Each week our team comes together to debrief, and share key stories and insights from the news cycle. Take a gander below and find out what’s caught our attention this week.
Are British boozing habits drying up?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a shift away from the ‘binge drinking youth’ to the more health conscious millennial. They’re ditching booze for alcohol-free and low alcohol alternatives, with one in three 18-25 year olds claiming to be teetotal, according to a 2019 report from University College London. Seedlip is just one of the brands capitalising on this movement, having gone from a farm kitchen to selling out in Selfridges in next to no time, thanks to the creation of their alcohol-free spirit. The next in a chain of brands switching to lower alcohol alternatives is Whyte & Mackay, who is bringing a first to market ‘light’ spirit, at 21.5% ABV. versus the standard 40%+ bottle. Alcohol brands need to shift their perspectives and output in order to keep the younger, wellbeing-led demographic interested. For our client Silver Bay Point, it’s all about the lighter side of life, with a product that’s lighter in price, lighter in calories and lighter in alcohol. Lighten up with more ideas on how to make the most of the low-alcohol movement.
A flippin’ good recycling initiative from Evian
Well-known bottled water brand Evian has teamed up with National Geographic and Plastic Bank for their Flip It For Good initiative, as part of their planet or plastic pledge.
Flip It For Good aims to collectively keep bottles out of nature by recycling your bottled water & capturing the moment whilst you’re at it! #flipitforgood for every video shared, one bottle will be reclaimed from nature. Talk about a fulfilling movement to get behind!
More info on the Evian website.
Big dogs, BrewDog puts trust in punters
BrewDog has launched an honesty bar scheme where thirsty punters get to decide how much they pay for a beer. Don’t run down to your local watering hole and demand free Elvis Juice just yet. The initiative is only for Equity Punks (those who invested as part of Brewdog’s numerous crowdfunding campaigns).
If you’re one of the 106,000 Equity Punks, however, you have the opportunity to earn back some of your initial investment. This ‘Honest to Dog’ scheme will run from the 3rd to the 9th June with the aim to get quality feedback on beers from their community of engaged investors. All underpaid bills will require a feedback card to be filled out and then published online. A small price to pay, wouldn’t you agree?
Learn more at Insider
An Expensive Mistake turned Priceless Marketing Opportunity
Hawksmoor Manchester restaurant stormed through our Twitter trends as they made a very clever decision and took to social media with, what could have been a rather embarrassing story. After a waiter at the restaurant mistakenly gave a customer an eye-watering £4,500 bottle of Chateau Le Pin Pomerol 2001 rather than the £260 bottle that they’d actually ordered, they made light of the situation and decided to go public on Twitter.
This single, rather humorous, tweet received thousands of likes, comments and retweets. Working wonders globally for the brand awareness and shedding light on their personable nature. It may be a risky, expensive stunt for all brands to start taking this approach, but it certainly highlights the opportunities that arise from social media and that this quick, clever thinking can go a long way in terms of brand reputation!
See the full story from MediaFirst.