Stella Artois connoisseurs programme: Delivering the perfect serve in 2,000 on-trade outlets.
Stella Artois is a Belgian brewing tradition dating back to 1366. The brand’s long-term ambition is to ensure that every Stella Artois sold in the on-trade is poured in the best possible way, which requires mastery of four key steps. Kreate were asked to develop an ‘On-Trade’ incentivisation programme to encourage 2000 handpicked outlets to serve Stella Artois the correct way. The programme was supported by the ‘A Cut Above’ ad campaign We were responsible for recruiting, training and managing 120+ Stella Artois Ambassadors (including trained actors) across the UK, and delivering face-to-face training on the pouring ritual and the reward scheme to each of the 2000+ outlets. Each outlet received access to a personalised web page and entry into an incentive scheme, with outlet staff rewarded for positive feedback from mystery shoppers, which measured the adoption of the ritual in outlets for 12 weeks after the activity.
A trade engagement programme to engage and train over 7,000 UK bar staff.
Having run many on-trade brand experiences, we knew that in order to achieve cut-through, we had to deliver a head turning experience that not only engaged bar staff, but left a lasting legacy. For our brand experience, each of our Stella Artois Ambassador teams consisted of a sophisticated and charming actress and a discerning photographer. Visiting up to 4 outlets per day while in character, they acted out a script in front of unsuspecting customers, where our chic actress enters the bar wearing an elegant white coat. She walks confidently towards the bar and pauses as she notices a gentleman enter, holding a Stella Artois branded case and a camera slung over his shoulder. The woman takes off her coat, holds it out and right on cue, the man takes it and places it on a chair. She smiles at him, and then approaches the bartender. The woman delivers a master class in how to perform the perfect pouring ritual, while the photographer captures the moment in timeless black and white, (which is later uploaded to each outlet’s webpage). The scene played out in venues across the country, where it grabbed everyone’s attention and got people talking.
The campaign over delivered against target and contributed to a significant sales increase in participating venues.
Alongside the main experience, we were also tasked with developing a bespoke real-time reporting portal, featuring outlet schedules, bar manager feedback and activity results, which could be accessed via an iOS app. This enabled us to see a real-time snapshot of the campaign and identify improvements on the fly. During the experience, our 39 individual teams helped train staff in 2,013 on-trade outlets across 4 waves of activity, reaching over 100% of our target. We delivered an average 15.4% sales uplift in trained outlets vs. other outlets that hadn’t been involved in the experience. Oh, and the campaign won an FMBE award and an IPM Cogs award too!