NewsLine Column: High Spirits In The Bar Media Industry

The difficult economic conditions are still putting the squeeze on marketing budgets and with an increasing number of advertisers shopping around to get more for their money, Rick Weir, marketing director of Hi-Tech Solutions, explains why the bar media industry is in high spirits…

‘You must be crazy!’ was the initial reaction to advertising in pub washrooms in 1996. Today the bar media market has grown to an estimated £5 million and secures budgets from blue-chip companies from all major advertising categories. There are more bars, more formats, more advertisers, more contractors, more accountability and more precise ways of targeting than ever but this, however is just the tip of the ice-berg?

In 1996, there were approximately 5,000 bars across the UK which would be suitable for advertisers and there were only 500 in which they could advertise. To qualify, bars have to be busy and generally in town and city centres and the number of these bars have been steadily growing ever since. There are now 11,000 such bars across the UK and advertising is available in 6,000. The bar media market is only therefore half full, leaving huge room for additional growth.

Bar operators are becoming far more receptive to advertising, viewing it not only as an additional source of revenue, but also as a form of entertainment for its customers. Last year Mitchell and Butler, for example, awarded us with an exclusive contract, allowing advertising in its 2,000 bars for the first time. With brands including All Bar One, O’Neills and Edwards this was a major coup for us as well as the bar media market as a whole.

Accountability is another fundamental element that is generating growth. Research we recently commissioned revealed the public’s attitudes towards washroom advertising to be positive and receptive to the environment in which the ads are seen. We also now know why, apart from the obvious, bar washrooms are used. 48% of men think of the toilets as a place to gossip, 72% of men consider washrooms a refuge from the opposite sex, 27% of girls use the washrooms to sort out their hair and make-up, 37% of men use the toilets to chat and the list goes on.

We have also commissioned research into the effectiveness of bar advertising, proving for the first time what was previously only gut feel – bar advertising works. Figures such as 60% total recall for Ali G among 18-24 year olds, 41% recall for Cadbury Trebor 24/7, 50% recall among target 18-24 for Emap’s Radio Aire prove its effectiveness. The audience is also highly sought after. 84% are 18-24 years old, 87% are ABC1, they are socially active early adopters and can be targeted 100% by gender.

Precise audience targeting is another growth stimulant. From what football teams they support to whether they have live music, from whether they have car parks, to whether they have pub football teams, we know everything about all our bars. This means we can create bespoke campaigns, targeting unique and specific audiences.

There is a whole new range of advertising opportunities, from the original washroom poster to floor posters, urinal stickers and beermats which have the longest dwell time of them all.

These new bars, new campaign research, new audience data, new precise targeting and constant product innovation are only now being brought to the attention of advertisers, moving it rapidly upstream into the mainstream.

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