Inapub Magazine Autumn 2023 Issue 104

NOW THERE'S AN IDEA

Elton Mouna rounds up some more quirky tricks you could try.

Split-brain spending

Allegiant Air is an American airline with a no frills super-low fares business model. Fares are sometimes as low as £30 a flight. But they have recently moved away from their no-frills approach, adding a little optional luxury in the form of Johnnie Walker Blue Label at £25 a shot. And, dear Inapub reader, these polar opposite bedfellows of cheap and cheerful and pricey luxury are actually working. Why is this? It seems that affluent customers appreciate deals on everyday items like a cheap flight ticket or a Lidl middle aisle bargain but are also willing to splash out on their favourite indulgences, be that a bottle of extra virgin olive oil or, in this case, the indulgence of a premium whisky shot. This phenomenon has a name –it is called “split-brain spending”, and it could work for your pub. Would a super-premium very rare spirit sold at an extremely high price work for you? It would certainly make a wonderful talking point but would celebratory groups be tempted? The splitbrain spending theory says they could well be tempted. Worth thinking about.

Christmas Day 2023

Christmas Day 2023 falls on a Monday, potentially exposing your pub to a bumper four-day Christmas. What a terrific opportunity, but you won’t need me or respected sector researchers KAM to tell you a high percentage (34 per cent) of consumers are planning to spend less time in pubs and restaurants this year as a result of the current financial squeeze. I say this not to bring an air of doom and gloom, but to simply point out the obvious, that you will have to work harder than ever to make sure customers choose you over your competitors. Another finding from the KAM research that piqued my interest was that 46 per cent of customers want to speak directly to the venue they are planning to book and 32 per cent want a same-day response to an online enquiry. Sometimes we can put huge effort in to marketing our Christmas bookings, but if we’re not on the ball when it comes to customer service we can lose the opportunity. What system does your pub have to make sure leads convert to bookings?

The pub with a pet gorilla

I deliberately used a quirky headline and a quirky image of a gorilla to draw your attention to an article about guerrilla marketing, and it seems to have worked! Put simply, guerrilla marketing involves creating unique, unexpected, memorable activities that generate a buzz, highlighting your pub to as many people as possible. For an absolutely brilliant example of guerrilla marketing check out the “Campaign For Real Gravy” on YouTube. Here are some other ideas:

• Visit local offices with empty wine glasses and beer tankards each with a tag around the stem or handle offering a free fill up at your pub.

• Set up mini beer tasting booths at local events or in a local shop offering samples of your pub’s signature beers.

• Organise a silent disco pub crawl where participants wear headphones and dance through the streets, ending up at your pub.

Signage inspiration

Here at Now There’s An Idea! we love a quirky sign. Ballie Ballerson is a brilliant cocktail bar with huge ball pits customers dive into as if they were kids again. Don’t you just love their highly Instagrammable message?

Win a bottle of VELVETISED Chocolate Cream Liqueur

What is this yummy elixir sent from the gods? Well, it’s a blend of ethical cacao, vodka and cream and comes in three variants; original, salted caramel and espresso martini. When my sample bottles arrived at Inapub HQ they made me go all heart-fluttery and weak at the knees, and that is before I started sipping. After sipping it felt like the first time I ever fell in love. How can you win a bottle? Write to me before Friday 27th October 2023 with a pub-related idea on any subject that can be included in forthcoming editions of Now There’s An Idea. The best three will receive a bottle of Original, Salted Caramel or Espresso Martini VELVETISED Chocolate Cream Liqueur. Nice.