What makes marketing for the drinks and hospitality sector different?

Marketing for the drinks and hospitality sector is different from most other industries in several specific ways that matter practically.

The first is the role of experience and occasion. Drinks and hospitality brands are not just selling a product – they are selling a feeling, a moment, a social context. The marketing has to evoke that experience rather than simply describe the product. That requires a different creative approach to brand identity, content, and storytelling than most product categories demand.

The second is the complexity of the route to market. Most consumer brands sell to one primary audience. Drinks and hospitality businesses often need to market simultaneously to trade buyers – pub managers, bar buyers, festival programmers, retailers – and to end consumers, with different messages, different channels, and different objectives for each. Getting that balance right requires a strategic clarity that many small producers struggle to maintain.

The third is the regulatory environment. Alcohol marketing in the UK is governed by the Portman Group code and the ASA’s advertising standards, which place specific restrictions on how alcohol brands can market themselves – particularly around social media, influencer content, and anything that could be seen as appealing to under-eighteens. Understanding those constraints is essential before committing to any marketing activity.

The fourth is the seasonal and event-driven nature of the industry. Peaks around Christmas, summer festivals, sporting events, and seasonal releases require a marketing calendar and a level of advance planning that many small businesses in the sector do not have in place.

FreshPour’s background across fifteen years in the drinks and events industry means these dynamics are not theoretical – they are lived experience that directly informs every recommendation made to clients in this sector.