San Miguel's UK brand lead on why it's continuing its pivot away from TV with Picturehouse Pop-Up deal
San Miguel has inked a deal to sponsor the Picturehouse Pop-Up season, with the beer company's UK brand lead saying the move will aim to both drive awareness and demonstrate its values to younger audiences.
San Miguel's UK brand lead on why it's continuing its pivot away from TV with Picturehouse Pop-Up sponsorship deal
The series of events, organised by cinema network Picturehouse, will see several classic movies - like Clueless, Withnail & I, and Back to the Future - screen in the open air across 10 locations in the UK.
From May until September the bar will be propped up by bottles of San Miguel. According to Dharmesh Rana’s, the firm's senior brand manager, the partnership is a continuation of the brand's desire to weave itself into consumer experiences; an ethos solidified by its ongoing 'Rich List' campaign.
A cinematic call for nominations to the list, which will be whittled down later this year to showcase individuals who have shunned the pursuit of wealth and status to find value in exploration, will be shown ahead of screening.
Away from the current push though, Rana recognised that a cinema environment is the ideal setting to fully engage consumers, something he explains has not gone unnoticed by the brand when considering its media buys.
"We know that our communications require a level of dwell time, which is one of the key reasons why we chose to move away from TV last year into cinema," he muses adding that the silver screen allows for greater focus. "We don't have to battle with someone on their phone, you've got higher engagement levels," he said.
A recent study found that three-quarters of Brits admit to swiping through their phones or tablets while watching TV and much has been said of the opportunities this change in behaviour has afforded to marketers in recent years.
While Rana admits a second screen can be a "challenge" he believes in tandem with TV mobile can allow brands big and small to be "quick and nimble" and more efficient with their spend. "With TV there's a bit of a higher hurdle rate to get into that space," he adds.
So, with the brand shifting away from TV-centric ads how does it plan to continue driving awareness and promoting the 'Rich List' post-September and when it's key trading months are over?
"San Miguel is one of those brands that really does benefit from the sunshine," Rana mused, remaining tight-lipped on the specifics, "but when we come to launching the final Rich List in October we have a trove of activities planned and hero the people involved."