A passion for wine, an obsession with whisky and a dedication to brewing.
My aim is to help you create and grow successful drinks brands.
&Stark
Drinks Marketing.
A passion for wine, an obsession with whisky and a dedication to brewing.
My aim is to help you create and grow successful drinks brands.
Since growing up in a pub, the drinks industry has fascinated me. I’ve brewed beer, made gin, trodden on grapes, invested in whisky casks – and helped create and market beer, wine, gin and whisky brands.
I’ve developed my experience with a WSET qualification (Wines and Spirits) as well as time in the retail and wholesale sides of the industry.
My aim: to use my experience to help you create drinks brands which connect with customers – creating a dedicated fan base.
“It’s OK, we’ve designed some labels already.”
That’s great – I’m assuming you took time to consider the current market and your target market?
“Putting tactics before strategy is the noise before defeat.”
Creating a great brand starts with figuring out why you exist, what you are saying and who you are saying it to.
“We just don’t seem to be making an impact.”
This is very common – not just in the drinks industry. It’s a competitive market out there but there are tools and techniques you can use to create a lasting impression.
“Trying to understand your customer doesn’t stop. Gathering insights informs your next steps.”
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As a drinks consultant I work with you and your team – understanding your strategy, aligning marketing with sales and creating plans which will create a truly effective marketing department.Â
Let’s do some great things together.
Tap into over 25 years of marketing experience which includes many years coaching and mentoring.
I work with organisations of varying sizes – helping them to uncover the unique values their business already has, align it to a sales strategy and communicate so their prospects take genuine interest. I take away the nonsense, remove the smoke and mirrors and focus on the right solutions for the right reasons.
Drinks Marketing Examples
DESIGN
‘Loch Indaal Whisky’
Bespoke and private bottlings are big business. It’s important to create something unique which differentiates from a standard ‘off the shelf’ bottle.
One of these is going into production in Aug 2024.
- Design brief.
- Creative concepts.
- Creative development.
- Photography, digital artwork,
- Printer liaison.
- Photography and promotion of finished product.
ADVERTISING / PRINT
‘Northcote House Magazine’
The client is the main supplier to Michelin-starred Northcote (Lancashire).
The advert appeals to their clientele and promotes aged and dated collectable spirits.
- Design brief.
- Creative concepts.
- Copywriting.
- Photography.
- Digital artwork.
- Liaison with publisher/printer.
INTERACTIVE / DIGITAL
‘El Vino Discovery App’
[Client details removed for privacy].
Working in Figma to develop a working mobile App concept to encourage discovery and engagement with a new range of volcanic wines.
- Design brief and user journey mapping.
- Market research.
- Figma prototype.
- Creative concepts.
- Copywriting and content reseach.
- App developer management.
BRAND / DESIGN
”YO’ Wine’
Concepts submitted for a range of Yorkshire wines. Using a visual approach for table and shelf presence, these wines encourage you to ‘look under the label’ and make judgements based on quality and taste.
- Design brief.
- Market research.
- Creative concepts.
- Visual rendering.
CONTENT CREATION
‘The Discovery Sessions’
Self generated content – conversations with people from within thr drinks industry discussing their experiences, challenges and of course the usual ‘quirks’ which make it all so interesting.
- Research.
- Interviews and editorial.
- Artwork of finished document.
- Promotion.
DESIGN & PROMOTION
‘Old Smithy Whisky range’
Created for a range of a retailer’s cask collection which had been amassed over a 20 year period. These bottlings were in competition for shelf space amongst 1,200 other bottles.
- Design brief.
- Creative concepts.
- Digital artwork.
- Promotion.
INTERACTIVE / DIGITAL
‘Whisky Finder Mobile App’
Self-created mobile phone app (Android and Apple) aimed at encouraging physical discovery of whisky distilleries to generate more whisky tourism and the localised benefits it brings.
- Research.
- Content collation.
- User journey mapping.
- App build.
- Launch on Google Play and Apple App Store.
- [Curtailed by Covid-19]
GRAPHICS & DOCUMENTS
‘English Whisky Timeline’
Creating content, graphics and diagrams to projects which take influence from, or promote the drinks industry. In this example, a publication which was promoting the growing English whisky industry.
- Creative style.
- Creating bespoke illustrations.
- Editing.
- Output for high print quality.
PHOTOGRAPHY
‘Vintage Drinks Online’
Being in a cramped corner of a cold warehouse isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but it is necessary to clearly document hundreds of vintage drinks for website and other online listings.
- On-site photography.
- Post processing - editing, colour balance.
- Output for different media.
- Website and listing upload.
- Meta-tagging.
- No breakages!
WHAT SOME OF MY MARKETING CLIENTS HAVE SAID
He helped me at a time where I was trying to achieve a lot in a small window of time - setting up my own business.
He quickly demonstrated his understanding of the challenges within the retail sector, and built a website which clearly reflected my business and the services I operated within.
Managing Director
CentreStage Leasing
He's been instrumental in the evolution of our brand and positioning and has noticeably raised our profile in the global rail technology market.
It's a pleasure to work with Andrew - and he fits seamlessly into our team.
Founding Partner and CEO
Incremental Ltd
He is always able to interpret my thoughts and ideas and apply logic and rationale, which then shapes it into a compelling business proposition.
He is always able to interpret my thoughts and ideas and apply logic and rationale,
which then shapes it into a compelling business proposition.
Safeguarding Trainer
& Entrepreneur
Old Smithy has been a great success for us - with clear in-store presence, content pitched at the right level and visual appeal which gives larger brands a run for their money.
Retail Manager
Old Smithy Whisky
me to build my business on.
me to build my business on.
Starting with a brand identity which underpins all other aspects of
my communications and marketing -
he understood the brief, and then some.
Managing Director
RDS Safety Management Ltd
me to build my business on.
It's hard to put into words the value he's added to our organisation -
from dragging us into a more modern world to meet out customer demands online, or positioning us well in front of prestigious Michelin-Starred chefs and restaurants - he's been very instrumental for which we are extremely grateful.
Managing Director & Keeper of the Quaich
Wright Wine & Whisky Company
