Social Media Marketing: Wooing the under-30s into your pub

They are typically single, have fewer demands on their time, and have more disposable income because they are generally mortgage-free. So is it any wonder that this under 30-year-old age grouping is a prime target for pretty much every business going including pubs and drinks companies?

The only problem is that they are often difficult to attract because they have so many options on which to spend their time and money - including gyms, cinemas and computer games - than have previous generations.

Go social

The way to their hearts and wallets, according to Ed Turner, commercial director of Geronimo Inns, is through social media. "It's all about social media, as this group are big online," he says. "We use it to talk to them about what they love about pubs. The more conversations through which you are exposed to them then the more idea you'll get about them."

He cites a recent menu change involving the removal of beetroot salad. After people complained on Twitter it was quickly re-instated. So keen is Turner to involve himself in these communications that all complaints to the Geronimo website are fed directly to his Blackberry for a rapid response.

Tom Peake, co-owner of Renaissance Pubs, agrees that social media's value is high and even though the five-strong pub company does not specifically target the under-30 market, the fact that the majority of its marketing and PR is done digitally means the bulk of its communications hits the younger tech-savvy consumer.

The use of new media has also been fundamental to the building of the following behind BrewDog, although co-founder James Watt says he does not "get hung up on target markets, unlike the big brewers, who base their marketing on stereotypes".

"Our budgets are not spent on the young end of the market, it's to people who have an affinity with interesting, ethical and better flavoured beers. It's not about having a target market of a certain age group, it is a mindset.

"With conventional marketing we can't compete so we use online marketing, which is a more intelligent and engaging platform for content," he explains.

However, there is little doubt that the branding and marketing of the BrewDog beers has been especially appealing to the under-30 drinker, according to Yan Pilkington, manager of the recently opened Euston Tap, who says branding can make a big difference to this grouping.

"It makes a huge difference. A name can sway it with a lot of people and BrewDog has been focused on branding for the younger market. Thornbridge has also rebranded its bottles and is tweaking the designs to simplify them," he says.

Pilkington also cites Marble and Camden Brewing Company as having very simple designs that are undoubtedly appealing to a younger audience. What also unites these brewers is that they are all relatively new organisations.

"It needs new beers to attract new younger customers to the beer market," suggests Yan, whose pub stocks all these brewers' ales and is itself attracting a large audience of 25 to 35-year-olds.

Turner agrees new products are finding favour and driving sales.

"Sambrook's brewery is doing very well for us with its craft-produced cask ales. It's got a bright badge, it's made locally, and we've got behind this new brand in our pubs," he suggests.

Charlie McVeigh, owner of growing pub group Draft House that now has three outlets, has experienced the same.

"There has been huge excitement about Wandle ale (from Sambrook's Brewery) in South West London. It makes us feel good as it's where we live. It's now our biggest selling beer except during the hotter weather in July and August when Kiwi lager Mac's Gold just pips it," he says.

Premium and provenance

This highlights the dual trend among younger people for provenance and a taste for cask ale, with the latter five years ago seen as the cheap, old man's option but now McVeigh says it has been 'premiumised' so it is not the unappealing cheapest brew on the bar.

"We've also seen Bombardier given a new font and Greene King bring out a new handle for its hand-pumps to tap into cask's renaissance," he adds.

Provenance is universally acknowledged among the more enlightened operators as vital to the under-30 age bracket with Turner reckoning they have a "broader outlook on life and have more of a social conscience".

"People like to see a beer is from a small brewer and is not a faceless, nameless brew. There is a sense of being shafted by big organisations so it's the little guys we trust," says Turner, who even commissioned a special bespoke brew for Geronimo pubs - Pale Faced Ale - from Tottenham-based Redemption Brewery.

These smaller, fleet-footed brewers with small production runs are also benefiting from the trend among the sub-30s to trial unusual drinks and to trade-up on occasion to beers that have a "story" behind them. "They might regularly have a Peroni but we can get them to try a Meantime as long as we tell them a story," he explains.

McVeigh likes to engage his customers in just such conversations: "Even though it is essential for every pub to get an interesting product range people still have to be sold different beers.

"It's all about selling experience, knowledge and passion and there are lots of interesting beer stories that we tell our customers. Staff training is absolutely essential as the people behind the bar are like beer sommeliers."

He has even gone to the extreme of removing some of the big marketed brands from his range.

"We had a deal with Heineken and we took Moretti from them for one of our bars and it was a best seller but we found that everybody automatically went for it because they'd heard of it," he explains.

"We took it out and we've found that when the big brands go then people have to get into a dialogue with the people behind the bar. Sales have gone up from this approach."

Although the under-30s often have only limited price elasticity, McVeigh says there are ways around this.

"Although it is still a minority thing we have found customers are buying third pint measures. They might not be willing to pay £7 for a pint of an eight per cent beer but they will pay £1.80 for a third. We also do a 'pint of thirds' that is three different beers. We've convinced them that just because it is not a pint it's still a good drink."

Following the Americans

This willingness to try unusual interesting drinks from smaller producers follows on from what has been seen in the American craft brewing movement. Tapping further into this trend can be a big opportunity for pub operators in the UK and help them fight the off-trade.

Doug Odell, co-founder of Colorado-based Odell Brewing Company, says: "There is now more awareness of what they are drinking and the status this conveys.

"There are a lot of people out of college who will go to a party and drink a load of Coors Light or Keystone Light (from Coors) or Bud Light but they will also drink craft beers and fancy spirits when they are at a bar because of the status. People are more aware of flavours."

The younger drinker is also acutely aware of the environment around them and it is noticeable that the more popular operators place great emphasis on generating their own look and feel.

At the Euston Tap, Pilkington says that all the hand-pumps have been removed from the bar and placed on the back wall, which creates a clean uncluttered and unique look for a beer-focused bar.

"With hand pumps the beers could have been seen as of older styles but we wanted to break down the barriers and stop the perception of cask beer as an old person's drink. We've also tried to give a younger vibe through playing music and there is definitely no carpet!" he explains.

Renaissance, Geronimo and Draft House have all developed elements of their interior designs that appeal to the younger drinker looking for something a little different to the standard b