Ei Publican Partnerships, the UK’s leading leased and tenanted pub business and part of Ei Group, is partnering with a range of brewers to help its publicans increase sales and footfall by offering 45,000 free pints during January.
Recent research found that 18.2 million rated their local pub as a ‘great place to socialise and meet people’. The initiative, which takes place during an historically challenging month for the pub sector, coincides with the popular ‘Try January’ campaign which rewards existing and new customers as well as offering an incentive to try a new pub or experience with friends.
During the nationwide promotion, customers will be able to track the pubs taking part in the offer and redeem their free drink via a web-based app. The offer, in partnership with leading brewers Molson Coors, Heineken and Meantime Brewery, as well as Diageo, will be available at over 1,500 pubs across the Ei Publican Partnerships estate, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting publicans with bespoke offers and initiatives that help to grow their businesses.
As with the previous campaigns, Ei Publican Partnerships will be driving an integrated approach with publicans further supported with engaging point-of sale materials, including banners, window vinyls, entertainment ideas and digital assets, to help create excitement among existing customers, as well as driving additional footfall. The campaign will also be activated via Ei Group’s developing digital presence across social, email and affiliate channels.
Steve de Polo, Retail Concept Director at Ei Group, said, “We know that pubs are the best place to meet people, so we wanted to run this initiative to encourage consumers to visit new venues and enjoy new experiences.
'January is generally the quietest time of the year for pubs – we want to motivate consumers to get out the house and battle the winter blues with their friends and family, by heading down the pub for a beer on us. We are determined to work in a collaborative partnership with our publicans and key suppliers, by utilising our assets to help them increase sales.
“We know from our previous campaigns that we can attract a captive audience by reaching out to consumers directly via the app and other digital and affiliate channels. This has proven an immense success with some major learnings for us. With this in mind, I have no doubt our ‘Try January’ activity will drive further interest in pubs across the UK and I look forward to hearing how our publicans up and down the country have benefitted.”
The web-based app has been developed for smart phones and tablets to support the campaign, through which the first 45,000 consumers will have access to an e-voucher to claim their free pint, alongside a list of participating pubs where it can be redeemed.