Greene King puts IPA on national TV

Greene King is to relaunch the Greene King IPA ale brand this month with its first national television campaign.

About 2 million is being spent advertising on Anglia TV, Sky Sports and Sky One, and in the national press. In the on-trade IPA is to get a new pump clip and a pub promotion that features a glass with a round bottom, so it cannot be put down without overbalancing.

The push occurs during a dramatic slump in the ale market. But Adam Collett, head of brand marketing for Greene King, says it has been motivated not by declining sales but by new listings.

The company has struck agreements with Tesco and a private pub company. Tesco will stock IPA nationally for the first time, in 240 stores.

Collett says: “Our strategy is to invest in our core brands. We believe the long-term view that brands are still going to be important”

According to Greene King, IPA grew by one per cent last year on a market estimated to be down by seven per cent.

The advertising, through McCann Erickson, is designed to remind core drinkers of IPA’s qualities and to attract new ones.