Having data is good, but we need to be knowledgeable about how best to use it. The same applies to owning a license. Acquiring the exclusive rights to use the trademark Guinness did not lead to any success for Linden Food Group, as they did not have the knowledge to use it to its full potential. They did not know how PR and marketing work together.

In a last-ditch effort, they brought in an agency to help them decide whether to cut the entire brand, or whether there is still a chance to revitalize their products associated with this brand.

A costly mistake

Linden's initial idea was right, they just lacked the initiative and human resources to follow through. Having launched their Guinness burgers through their more exclusive gourmet brand, they did not, however, define an action plan on how to roll out the product.

In addition, its existing marketing and sales team did not have the capacity to give sufficient attention to the new product line. Linden did not believe in widespread promotion of their burgers, as their perception was that only Guinness drinkers would be interested in them. Without any prior research, they misled themselves about this idea.

The agency did what it should have done initially, with a two-year delay: they carried out market research.

The Key to Success

Through a quantitative survey of more than 1,000 retailers on their attitude and expectations of a Guinness burger, and how often they drank the brew, it was found that more than 80% of people who don't drink Guinness are still interested in a burger infused with the famous drink.

After proving Linden wrong, the agency created personas for potential buyers using the DiSC framework, illustrating how they work and what their expectations are. This way, they could target them individually throughout the campaign, rather than addressing a vast crowd with generic messages.

The in-depth analysis was followed by a large-scale multi-channel strategy to engage decision-makers and introduce them to Guinness burgers. An infographic was created with all the insights gathered from end consumers to convince the management team.

A mailing was also carried out in the form of a tasting session. Here, prospective partners were provided with convincing consumer data and the opportunity to test the product. This was followed by personalized emails, aimed at introducing a more personal form of communication.

Invisible benefits

The campaign led to engagements with retailers, and led to sales well above what the company had previously achieved.

The Linden case shows the importance of strong principles and insight. They wasted time and resources for two years because they did not understand their audience or their product. You can have all the elements of success, but if you lack discernment, they cannot be unused.

Linden has gathered and shared relevant knowledge with its partners in order to market its product. We need to know what makes our company unique, what service we can provide to partners, how we want them to perceive us and what we can do to achieve this. This is how PR and marketing work together.