Crazy for Ale

A celebrity endorsement for a brand usually costs thousands of pounds. But when Madonna swore her allegiance to Timothy Taylor's Landlord, the phones were red hot for weeks. The brewer's managing director,Charles Dent, reflects on an unexpected coup for beer

Even the most eagle-eyed marketing executive could not have predicted a link between Madonna and real ale. Surely the self-styled Queen of Pop was much more likely to toast her on-going success with a glass of Bolly?

Once upon a time maybe. But, true to her forté for reinvention, Madge revealed during The Jonathan Ross Show that she would rather sink a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord than a Martini any day.

Her words have gone down in history at Knowle Spring Brewery in West Yorkshire, Timothy Taylor's head quarters. At the time, the star told Jonathan Ross: "I have learned to love ale. Timothy Taylor's the best ­ real ale", she said. "We go down to the Dog & Duck in Soho and with my flat cap drawn over my face I order a pint and a half of Landlord."

Unaware of their celebrity fan, staff at the brewery were winding down for the weekend when news of Madonna's endorsement broke. According to managing director Charles Dent, the phone started ringing as soon as the programme was aired on TV. And, he recalls: "It continued to ring for months as the country's media machine latched onto thefascinating story of the megastar's endorsement of a small independent, family-run brewery".

He adds: "We are obviously delighted and thrilled. We knew this could open up a totally new market. Real ale brewers and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) have been trying to attract younger and, in particular, female drinkers for a number of years. So a few comments by Madonna could well have triggered a new trend."

Dent was inundated with interview requests by radio, TV and newspaper journalists ­ resulting in priceless publicity for a company that takes a minimalist approach to advertising. The story developed from there, becoming a talking point among the trade and a topical question in pub quizzes.

Taylor's admits Madonna's words were like "manna from heaven" especially because "it was unplanned publicity money just couldn't buy and certainly couldn't have been bought by even the largest spenders in the game".

However, Dent says, in terms of sales of Land-lord, it made very little difference.

Landlord already had a good pedigree, having won more awards than any other English ale, and, according to the company, the unique distinction of becoming the first beer to simultaneously hold both the Brewing Industry International Championship Trophy and the Camra Champion Beer of Britain Award.

This success led to demand for Landlord across the country, including London. After Madonna's comments, orders for Landlord, particularly in the south, increased considerably but, over all, the media frenzy was far greater than the impact on sales, as Dent freely admits. "It was great fun at the time and while we certainly saw an upturn in sales of Landlord from certain accounts, we quickly returned to doing what we do best ­ producing fine cask beers in the time-honoured Timothy Taylor way. More than anything, though, we were delighted Madonna helped to focus the spotlight on the qualities of traditional ale and the English pub."

One extra barrel of Landlord did, however, make its way south to the capital. By way of a thank-you, the brewery supplied the beer for a private party Madonna organised for her director husband, Guy Ritchie.

Copyright issues have prevented the brewery from fully exploiting the endorsement by putting Madonna's name on promotional material, but Dent says the company has had more than its share of fun along the way. At a dinner for 250 guests organised by the directors to celebrate the opening of the brewery's new £2m extension, part of the entertainment included a Madonna impersonator. Dent remembers: "She was so realistic that for a moment or two as she walked on stage the whole room went silent as people wondered ­ Is it?'"

Madonna, however, is not the only celebrity to enjoy Timothy Taylor's beers. Hot on the heels of the pop star's endorsement, Hugh Grant was heard singing the praises of bottled Landlord at the opening of a new art gallery owned by the Duke and Duchess of Kent's son-in-law Timothy Taylor (no relation). Because of the connection, Tim thought it would be fun to serve beer as well as Champagne with the canapés. Numerous celebrities attended the party, including Hugh Grant, who, when asked for his opinion on the art, replied "Art, what art? I'm only here for this marvellous beer".

Playing devil's advocate, you could argue that the whole thing was an extremely clever marketing ploy by an image-conscious Madonna ­ an astute ruse to deliberately project herself as a typical English girl? If so she certainly achieved huge media exposure.

Nearly two years on and the Madonna story is still getting media coverage, with recent mentions in the Sunday Times, the Daily Mirror and the Independent. All help to keep the name of Taylor's in the public eye and maintain a high profile for Landlord. Equally there is no doubt, from a wider perspective, the whole episode has helped the industry in its ongoing campaign to introduce a younger audience to real ale. According to Camra, the trend-setting Madonna epitomises a small but growing number of female drinkers who are intent on enjoying fine traditional British beers.

Head brewer Peter Eells summed up the whole experience. "Despite reports to the contrary, Madonna's endorsement confirmed what we had known for some time now, that more and more people, including Americans, are enjoying traditional English ales. At the outset we extended an invitation to Madonna to visit the brewery. That offer still stands. All the brewing team and, I suspect, one or two other members of the brewery staff, would be queuing up to show her round and acquaint her with the delights of our other beers."