Pubs are attempting to revive the concept of the British inn as a way to boost revenue streams in the wake of the consumer slowdown and the smoking ban.
Recently, Marston’s unveiled plans to invest £50 million in expanding the accommodation offer in its managed pubs operation, while newcomer Urban Inns outlined plans to increase its number of “inn” sites from two to 20 in the next five years.
South coast city Brighton is the happiest place to live in the UK, according to a study for O2 Home Broadband.
94% of Brighton residents said they had a happy home. Brighton residents have all the benefits of living in a city, such as the shopping, culture, restaurants and nightlife, with the bonus of being by the sea. Brighton beat Leeds into second place, followed by Edinburgh, Cardiff and Plymouth. London came ninth and Belfast last in the 17-strong list.
We have had New Man. And Metrosexual Man. Now, its Mr Retrosexual.According to a new book, The Retrosexual Manual: How To Be A Real Man, women miss the smell of testosterone and yearn for a strong, muscular man and not a man who owns more beauty products than she does. A man who showers, shaves, then gets out of the way is ideal. Retrosexuals open doors for women, and you stand for pregnant women on a bus or train. You do this because you are a man, and you’re proud of it. Retrosexuals do not cook anything more sophisticated than baked beans or Pot Noodles.
Cooking is her job.
Coors Brewers is offering a dispensing system that pubs can install outside, as long as there is cover and an electricity supply. The system, named compactdraught, is designed to keep customers in establishments during the summer months, even when there is a large queue at the bar.
Source: Morning Advertiser 29-05-2008
Changes to the Gambling Act in September 2007 mean that poker can now be played in pubs & clubs for small stakes.
Steam brought Ladbrokespoker.com and Scottish & Newcastle UK together to create a fully-compliant, user-friendly and top-quality pub poker kit. Harnessing Ladbrokes’ poker know-how and S&N’s pub credentials; we created the ultimate licensee poker package.
According to the latest TV trends report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, TV viewing during the first quarter of 2008 was at its highest level since 2004, averaging 3.97 hours per individual per day.
However, terrestrial channels’ share of TV viewing fell from 65.4% in the first quarter of 2007 to 61.9% in the first quarter of 2008, with declines in share of viewing for all the terrestrial channels. Non-terrestrial channels grew their combined share of viewing from 34.6% to 38.1% for the first quarter of 2008.
According to a study by Clover, families are now so busy that more than half of them do not get to see each other every day.
Meanwhile, one in five people admitted they get to see their families only once a week or less.This lack of time is having an impact on traditional meals with only a third of families sitting down once a day together. Just 18% have time for one to three meals a week with their family – and just 3.5% said they ate together more than twice a day. When together, shopping is the favourite activity for the family.
Birmingham is the UK’s snacking capital where 75% of people give in to temptation and grab a snack when hunger strikes. However, they are healthy snackers – 37% opt for a piece of fruit.Glasgow is home to the UK’s chocoholics with 44% of all Glaswegians eating a chocolate bar to stave off hunger.
Snacks make up almost 40% of our meals. More than half of us snack because we are bored and 67% simply grab whatever is available without thinking about it. Source: Daily Star 28-05-2008
The rapid explosion of the internet into British life has been underlined by a survey showing that almost 6% of Britons spend at least five hours online each week.
The finding is one of several in 21st Century Life Index, a BT report into the future of technology which found that shopping and banking are two of the chief reasons why Britons are logging on in increasing numbers.
Our very own Ed Downey was a feature speaker at the inaugural Marketing Week Sales Promotion conference; dedicated to profitable sales promotion strategy. Ed and the Head of S&N Customer Marketing, Chris Cansfield presented the Multi-brand “Free Bet” promotion to a packed house at The Thistle, Marble Arch.
Top marketers were present from leading sales promotion agencies and client marketers.The promotion ran across all major brands in the S&N portfolio and delivered phenomenal commercial success. This campaign also picked up a Marketing Society Effectiveness Award. For details, click here
