Drink all you want! How does this brand show its commitment and dedication into EVERY POUR? [Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
It’s a common struggle for small businesses to raise awareness about their brand.
One reason is because they are often left in the shadows of big and well-known corporations that already gained traction in the market.
… but who says startups and small businesses have no place to shine in the industry?
Take a look at what one small catering service does to raise awareness about its brand and grow its customer base.
Pour Masters is a professional bartending service headquartered in Arizona. It offers various alcohol bar packages and basic services such as:
- Beer and Wine Package
- Well Package
- Call Package
- Premium Package
- Complete Beverage Service
- Bartenders Only Service
- Banquet Servers Service
Despite being in the business since 1992, the brand still struggled to gain new clients and customers.
So… what did Pour Masters do to reach its target market and establish its presence in the bartending and catering services industry?
Since 2014, the brand has been reaching out to consumers―especially the “party animals”―through one of the things they love attending:
PARTIES!
Every year at the Parkside Lane in Arizona, Pour Masters spends a portion of its marketing budget to host a free themed party for the public.
Each event has a unique theme and contains different types of activities and games that provide entertainment for all the attendees.
There’s all sorts of delicious food for every one participating in the gathering too.
YUM!
While all the dishes served at the event are good, let’s not forget about another staple that is part of Pour Masters’ specialization at parties:
Wine and spirits!
At every themed party, the business makes sure there’s enough space to set up an open bar where people can order any type of drink they want.
That’s definitely a really good way to have a good time with consumers!
Curious about how Pour Masters spreads word about its free themed parties?
Through social media and hashtags!
For each event, the company posts details and registration links about its upcoming parties on social media and uses hashtags unique to each theme.
For example: If a particular theme is called, “Cool Off In Style,” Pour Masters will encourage attendees to upload photos or videos of the event on their own social media accounts with the hashtag, #CoolOffInStyle.
To motivate party-goers to post about the event on social media, Pour Masters awards prizes for those whose posts got the highest number of likes and shares.
… and one of the things the business does to encourage return customers and attract prospects?
It gives small gifts―keychain, small trophies, etc.―to each attendee as a token of appreciation for participating in the event.
Wait, there’s more!
Pour Masters doesn’t just let these opportunities to increase their customer base pass by.
That is why the business’ staff also ask party-goers to provide their email addresses along with their names on a registration form so they will be added to the company’s database and receive future updates.
Here are the results of Pour Masters’ consistent effort for this Guerrilla Marketing tactic:
After 6 years since the free themed parties were implemented, the business now gets over 100 guests per event to spread word about its catering and bartending services.
That might seem like a slow progress for others but for Pour Masters, that’s good progress!
Thanks to the social media posts of those who attend the event, the business is able to reach a wider network and now, it also provides bartending services in different centers in Arizona, like:
- The Paseo Apartments
- Warehouse 215 @ Bentley Projects
- Desert Botanical Garden
- The Falls Event Center
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix
- Heritage Square
- Portico Wedding and Events
- The Kerr Cultural Center
Here’s one note from Dave Forman, Pour Masters’ President:
“Recently (2020), we were able to throw a Yacht Rock Party where we all pretended we were floating on a large boat with signature cocktails, a band, great food, and casino games. Due to the pandemic, this was our first event after 6 months.”
Indeed, there is no small or big business when it comes to marketing a brand!
Pour Masters shows us that small businesses are also capable of coming up with creative and fun strategies to engage with consumers.
One of the things you can learn from this?
You don’t have to wait for your brand to grow big to connect with your target market―whatever your business’ status is, the right Guerrilla Marketing strategy will help your brand expand.
Get inspired with Pour Masters’ tactic!
… and remember: It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is. There’s a lot of out-of-the-box ideas out there! You just have to identify the most suitable marketing strategy for your brand.
Once you do, that’s awesome!
Later on, you’ll realize your brand is on its way towards making a BIG name in the industry!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com
