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SB meets… Drinktank
Drinktank pays bartenders for expert feedback, and leading brands tap into the findings.
Phillippe Jouhaud, sales and marketing director at Bacardi Martini, and Nidal Ramini, advocacy director at Brown‐Forman, discuss their experience of working with Drinktank. The drinks‐industry insights network was launched in 2018 to help drinks brands and the on‐trade collaborate on ideas anchored in qualitative market research, and provide advice.
This year, the initiative released an app that gives brands even quicker access to global insights through bartender responses on the go. The app sends insight requests to more than 1,400 bartenders and bar experts, dubbed the ‘Drinktank Collective’, and pays users for their expertise.
What benefits have you seen from working with Drinktank?
Philippe Jouhaud: Being able to secure opinions from global bartenders with speed. These insights have helped us review and adapt our approach to ensure it resonates with our target audiences.
Nidal Ramini: I have partnered with Drinktank on a number of projects, whether they have been discipline focused – ‘What is the role of the BA?’ – or market centric –‘what drives influence in Mexico?’. The access to a large group of ‘in the know’, industry professionals is invaluable. We talk about gaining intelligence and turning that into insights – that wasn’t possible without Drinktank.
What has Drinktank taught you about the industry that you didn’t already know?
PJ: That open communication with bartenders is invaluable. The Drinktank Collective is eager to share their expertise, whether it’s sense checking an upcoming project or evaluating the success of a recently completed campaign. It’s essential to hear from those that use our products, and equally important that this knowledge is paid for.
NR: The most important aspect of any marketing strategy is to base your plans on evidence; things that you can prove. Working with Drinktank gives you that. It’s not so much that you learn something new, it’s more that it validates your hunches (or it disproves them, and gives you the chance to rethink).
What’s the highlight of collaborating with bartenders?
PJ: Receiving unfiltered, honest opinions from those that are actively using and engaging with our brands and our competitors on a daily basis. We want our brands in their hands, and knowing what they value and desire in terms of spirit intrinsics or training support is integral to ensuring we’re developing and moving in the right direction.
NR: The insights one receives, and understanding what drives motivations are two huge highlights. Plus, I think that bartenders are sick of brands telling them that a concept/programme/product was created ‘for them’ this way. It’s created ‘with them’ – that’s Drinktank’s line but I’m stealing it.
How has your brands’ future changed now that they are using Drinktank?
PJ: We’ve developed something that was directly impacted by global bartenders’ opinions. We listened and we adapted accordingly, showing how important collaboration is to us.
NR: As before, it’s not about change, but more about evolving our approach. The work we’ve done with Drinktank has helped us at Brown‐Forman create a solid pen‐portrait of our target (based on emotional intelligence), has provided us with our mission, and helped us define our core motivations.