Ditch the negativity, positivity gets results
After Pete’s humour I knew that my brief to cover the conference theme of British beer at the heart of the community, with industry perspectives, was the start of a slightly more serious section of the agenda (the Portman Group and British Beer & Pub Association were to follow me).
My three themes were: the responsibility that comes with scale, 2.8% ABV beer and the evolution of the Cask Report. However, Pete’s clever spoof ads, to expand on his topic, were a good link into my main message, which was that we should be more positive than we are, and offer more glass-half-full messages.
So I considered some of the sound-bites we hear in industry conversations, and the results they deliver, before suggesting some very positive messages that all of us should weave into our everyday conversations to help our beer and
pub industry.
I started with a cartoon picture of a man wagging his finger at his dog entitled: This is what we say to dogs — “OK, Ginger, you’ve had it! Stay out of the garbage, understand? Stay out of the garbage or else!”
And then the next slide was entitled: This is what they hear — “Blah blah, Ginger, blah blah blah blah blah blah, Ginger, blah blah blah!”
The next slide was entitled What we say to politicians:
- Pubs are closing
- Supermarkets are selling cheap alcohol
- Beer sales are declining
This is what consumers and drinkers then hear:
- Pubs are really expensive
- People don’t go to pubs anymore
- There are some great wine deals at Sainsbury’s
- People aren’t drinking beer anymore
Which makes you think we should be much more glass half-full — we need to tell a great story...
- Meet your friends at the pub
- There’s a fantastic range of beers to suit all tastes and occasions
- Good pubs are thriving places to be
- Get out of the house
- Take your family to the pub
- Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the UK
Doesn’t that sound and feel a whole lot better? Why don’t we try it? Come on, tell your fellow workers, friends and family!
- Stephen Crawley is managing director of the Caledonian Brewery
