Shepherd Neame’s financial results have been helped significantly by sales of its Spitfire ale. Boosted by a humorous advertising campaign, Spitfire sales have gone from strength to strength. This campaign has been key to the drink’s success, creating the right brand values and, by being memorable, winning recognition for the brand at the point of sale.
Following significant investment in advertising, including a television campaign costing £500,000, Spitfire ale has seen its sales grow by almost 25%. This has been a tremendous boost to Shepherd Neame, the brewer which makes Spitfire, which has seen a 4.3% rise in pre-tax profits.
The success of Spitfire ale, especially at a time when overall cask beer sales have fallen by 6.5%, owes a great deal to its advertising campaigns. Based on World War II slogans and catchphrases, the adverts target young adult males by focusing on humor and sociability. The adverts rely on the staple jokes of British pub culture. While slogans like “Downed all over Kent, just like the Luftwaffe” may be thought by some to be dated, they have proved a big hit with the target audience.
Rising above complaints from the public, German tourists and the London Underground, which refused to carry a number of posters, the brand has used its campaign to build a strong brand identity.
The use of humor is key; as a cask brew, Spitfire is not aimed at cafes or bars but at traditional pubs. Pubs are still perceived as predominately male venues where relaxed socializing, wisecracking and shared jokes between groups of friends traditionally play an important role.
By producing a campaign that closely reflects these values, Spitfire has managed, very quickly, to win a place among many consumers’ drinks repertoires. This is the key to becoming a successful on-trade brand as most purchasing decisions are made in the last few seconds at the bar. High brand recognition coupled with a strong campaign is likely to translate into sales simply because consumers reach for something familiar at the moment of decision.
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