The Power of Entrepreneurial Thinking in Marketing

Recently awarded Brand of the Year at The Marketing Society Annual Dinner 2023, Lucky Saint is a great example of how entrepreneurial thinking can drive success even in competitive markets dominated by big players.  Marketing Director and The Marketing Society member Ruth Fittock spoke to Marketing and Ecommerce director Kerttu Inkeroinen to hear the stories and the principles behind their success.  

You can listen to the full conversation in their episode in The Marketing Society podcast right here but read on for some of the highlights.

Breaking Category Norms:  Break rules, honour traditions. 

A great inhouse mantra- while Lucky Saint honours the traditions of the beer category in terms of brewing techniques and quality, they break the rules when it comes to marketing. They've developed a distinctive visual style that stands out from traditional beer advertising, opting for a more artistic and lifestyle-focused approach- they overinvested in creative, engaging legendary photographers including Rankin. They also challenge category norms by sponsoring events like marathons and partnering with organizations like Alcohol Change UK to promote alcohol-free living.

Fresh Consistency & ‘iconic’ work

Having overinvested in those creative assets they aren’t afraid to sweat them really hard, the brand might only be five years old, but is very focussed on building that long term brand equity- an internal mantra is ‘fresh consistency’, be distinctive but then be consistent.  And they aim for the work to be ‘iconic’, think long term not just tactical.     

Customer Obsession: Getting Close to the Consumer

Yes, reading through customer feedback, TrustPilot reviews and online retailer reviews. But Lucky Saint goes the extra mile by personally calling their top-tier customers and even lapsed customers to gain valuable insights into how their brand fits into their lives and how they can improve.  The whole marketing team and senior leadership team do this and they are currently rolling it out across the business.  There’s nothing like hearing that feedback direct from consumers. 

Minimising Complexity: In-House Teams and Agile Execution

To maintain agility and creativity, Lucky Saint uses in-house teams where possible. This allows them to move quickly, stay consistent, and keep their focus on their brand's vision. With a small but dedicated team that truly understands the brand, Lucky Saint can maintain brand consistency across all channels.  Being inhouse, the team also benefit from that customer obsession- they understand the consumer better, because they’re closer.

The pub test aka, keep it simple

Kerttu is a big believer in common sense marketing, in keeping it simple.  Your marketing strategy should be simple enough that you can articulate it to a friend who doesn’t work in marketing in the pub over a pint (non alcoholic or otherwise) and they should be able to get it.  

Get out of your own echo chamber- build a culture of feedback and inspiration 

Lastly, Lucky Saint fosters a culture of inspiration and feedback within their team. They encourage everyone to stay informed about trends and innovations both inside and outside the beer category. They recently hosted their first ‘creative congregation’ inviting a selection of friends, partners, influencers and other brands to come in and review everything they’ve done in the past year from OOH to emails, inviting them to feedback on likes and dislikes. Also a good way to ‘stay humble’ another key brand value.  

Find out who will be crowned Brand of the Year at the 2024 The Marketing Society Annual Dinner - book your table here

Listen to the podcast here