John Fanning stresses pubs as brands in themselves

Attending the LVA luncheon were (from left): LVA Vice Chairman Eamonn McCormack, of the Merrion Inn, LVA Chairman Tom O’Brien of The Ferryman and Guest Speaker John Fanning, Bord Bia Brand Forum Chairman.

The guest speaker at this year’s LVA AGM luncheon was John Fanning, Chairman of Bord Bia Brand Forum and former Managing Director of McConnells Advertising Agency.

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He stressed the importance of pubs being a brand in themselves and regarding themselves as such. Each pub should consider itself as a unique brand and this brand should be built with “faith, hope and clarity”.

Emphasising the strength of the pub as a brand John cited the case of a South Dublin housebuyer who limited his search to houses within walking distance of Gleeson’s of Booterstown.

It’s important too to take the trouble to find out what people like about your pub, he told the Dublin vintners and ‘pub environment’ can be crucial to consumer choice.

“Why are there not more stories about your pub and who you are?” he asked. The folklore surrounding a pub is also one of its selling points. The more this is built up through histories of the premises, the more impact and respect the pub has from the pub-going public. It’s all right for pubs to have a certain amount of mystique too, he added.

“Try to own the locality and be the dominant story there,” he advised.

It’s also important to get into that ‘third space’.
Starbuck’s was one of the first to recognise the importance of providing the ‘third space’ for consumers after ‘home’ and ‘work’. As far as pubs go, they still function as that third space for men but pubs must make themselves more appealing to women so that they can feel comfortable on their own in a pub, he told his audience.

The publican is also a retailer with the potential to make himself a ‘hero’ both locally and in terms of the Irish economy. Pubs should feature craft beers and lionise them more while promoting the merits of purchasing locally.

And as restaurants move into the pub business, why shouldn’t pubs start a cuisine revolution within their environments, thus providing not only competition to the restaurant but another income channel?

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