Lager, latte and the personal touch

​It doesn't matter if we are working for a brewer or a professional services firm – all roads at the moment seem to lead to the same destination: treating customers with more of a personal touch. I was reminded of this last week when Heineken asked us to provide a focus on coffee for one of their communications to pub landlords. Why on earth would a brewer talk up coffee….? Well, there’s an obvious reason. The UK coffee sector has seen a 6.4% growth in the past year alone, making it a £6.2bn industry. Heineken wants to grow together with its landlords, and offering a wider range of products that will delight more punters is one way of doing that. But there’s something more subtle at work too. Heineken is in step with the fact that in today’s world, consumers are looking for something totally right for them as individuals – and that is often different to what the brand wants to sell. All the data shows that consumers are turning their noses up at mass produced, identikit, pre-packaged goods in favour of bespoke offerings with quality ‘ingredients’ made with care. A survey by Kantar Media found that 62% of customers are likely to spend money on premium services and 48% would pay extra for personalisation. Data from Econsultancy shows that those brands which personalise their digital experiences see a 19% uplift in sales. So for us, the decision of a brewer to talk up coffee is part of the zeitgeist – realising that consumers are individuals who want individual solutions. In its way, Heineken’s support of coffee lives alongside the personal content portals we build for financial houses and accountants. And you can bet, from consumer to professional services, other smart brands will start doing the same.