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Marketing Policy

Bargain Booze Ltd. aims to provide its franchisees with a professional consumer-facing retail vehicle through its fascia formats which include Bargain Booze, Bargain Booze & Food, Thorougoods and Bargain Booze Select Convenience.

The consumer marketing undertaken by Bargain Booze Ltd on behalf of its franchisees is intended to be bright, professional and have high impact, occasionally using humour to underpin the core selling message.

Bargain Booze Ltd is a responsible retailer, and promotes this ethos to its franchise membership. It is intended that marketing materials (including but not limited to in-store point of sale, outdoor advertising, TV and radio advertising and leaflets) will reflect the spirit of responsible retailing message.

Introduction

The Bargain Booze and Bargain Booze & Food/ Bargain Booze Plus fascia formats are typified by the use of humour. The approach is unique in the specialist off-licence market and is designed to stand out from competitors and to increase the sales of the multibuys and full case deals that mark out the Bargain Booze trading style.

It is important to note that Bargain Booze Ltd firmly believes that the use of promotional mechanics such as multibuys and full case deals, whilst designed to increase purchase levels, does not automatically lead to an increase in consumption. Bargain Booze Ltd believes that the end-consumers that utilise its franchisees stores typically ‘stock up’ on alcohol products when taking advantage of the deals on offer.

The marketing is based principally around in-store posters and leaflets; however on occasions (as appropriate) some other advertising media are employed. These include:

  • Leaflet mail drops;
  • Radio;
  • Newspaper advertising;
  • Outdoor advertising; and,
  • Regional TV advertising.

Thorougoods is typified by a thematic in-store approach to marketing. The approach is unusual in the convenience market and is designed to stand out from competitors and to increase the sales of the multibuy deals that mark out the Thorougoods promotional activity.

The marketing is based principally around in-store posters and leaflets, however on occasions (as appropriate) some other advertising media are employed. These include:

  • Leaflet mail drops
  • Radio
  • Newspaper advertising

Bargain Booze Select Convenience outlets are promoted with a highly professional and ‘premium’ feel to the promotional materials produced. With a high-quality black and red fascia, the stores promote the Bargain Booze ‘value’ message in the context of credible full-blown convenience outlets.

Underlying Assumptions:

Alcohol is – as a drug – connected to a number of undesirable behaviours. These include under-age consumption, excessive consumption (and the concomitant health issues), and violence.

Marketing only reflects social behaviour – at a fundamental intrinsic level it does not influence it. (Marketing and advertising only influence superficial behaviours such as buying habits without effecting genuine social change).

Whilst there is little or no research that shows any correlation between problem drinking/ nuisance behaviour and the way in which alcohol is marketed, this does not mean that such behaviours should be encouraged by advertising or marketing (either by active promotion or by omission).

Responsibilities – Social & Legal

As a retailer of age-restricted products (alcohol, tobacco and, where relevant, national lottery) there are certain social and legal responsibilities incumbent upon Bargain Booze Ltd as a company and upon the retailers within the franchise group in the marketing/ advertising of these products.

The policy outlined below is designed to reflect Bargain Booze’s approach to marketing and, indeed, its attitude to these responsibilities. Whilst this policy cannot hope to cover every specific eventuality, it is hoped that the sense underlying the policy indicates the ethos of the company’s approach to advertising and marketing.

Marketing Policy

  1. All Bargain Booze Ltd. advertising and marketing materials and campaigns set out to never knowingly be other than legal, decent, honest and truthful.
  2. In the marketing & advertising of alcoholic drinks (those that exceed 1.2% alcohol by volume) Bargain Booze Ltd. try to uphold a responsible attitude without undermining the operational value of effective advertising campaigns. (Please note: Low Alcohol drinks from 0.5% to 1.2% abv are dealt with by clause 15 of this policy).
  3. No advertising or marketing campaign adopted by Bargain Booze Ltd. will intentionally promote styles of drinking or levels of consumption that are unwise. The use of humour and cartoon imagery will often be applied but these will be employed principally to the following ends:
    1. The promotion of value purchase opportunities (discount deals for the consumer).
    2. The general promotion of alcoholic beverages as sociable and thirst-quenching.
  4. Bargain Booze Ltd. will not intentionally produce advertising materials that appear to suggest that alcohol can be used to overcome boredom or loneliness or, indeed, other problems. Care will be taken at all times not to intentionally produce anything that exploits the young, the immature or those who might be deemed to be mentally or socially vulnerable.
  5. Bargain Booze Ltd. advertising and marketing campaigns will never be directed at those people who are under the legal age of consent for the purchase and consumption of alcohol. Similarly Bargain Booze will be careful in its choice of promotional media (including sponsorship opportunities) to the effect that no media shall be used if more than 25% of the potential audience is under 18 years of age.
  6. In the event that models or actors are utilised in any Bargain Booze advertising campaigns they will not be – nor will they appear to be – under the age of 25.
  7. In the use of cartoon imagery the themes and humour will be specifically aimed at the over-18s. No themes will be used that may be deemed to appeal specifically to a non-adult audience.
  8. Bargain Booze Ltd. will not intentionally produce any advertising or marketing materials or campaigns that suggest that alcohol can enhance mental, physical or sexual capabilities. If sexual innuendo or humour is used it should be executed in such a way that leaves the audience in no doubt as to the humourous intent of the campaign – and that no serious implication that alcohol can enhance mental, physical or sexual capabilities could be ascertained from the campaign.
  9. Alcoholic drinks will never be portrayed as ‘better’ because they have a comparatively high alcoholic content.
  10. Bargain Booze Ltd advertising and marketing campaigns will not intentionally suggest that any form of personal or social success can be attributed to the consumption of alcohol.
  11. Brand preference (including a preference for shopping at Bargain Booze or Thorougoods stores) will, on occasions, be used to show the consumer’s discerning nature and good taste.
  12. Bargain Booze Ltd. will not intentionally produce advertising or marketing materials or campaigns that imply that the consumption of alcohol is a challenge – or that people are ‘tough’ or ‘brave’ for consuming alcohol.
  13. Bargain Booze Ltd. advertising will always reflect the trading style of the company - which is based on the high volume turnover of discounted products. This high volume turnover is based on discounted purchases (typically, the larger the purchase size, the bigger the discount that is accrued by the consumer). Almost all Bargain Booze promotional and advertising materials reflect this trading style. Bargain Booze consumers will view all in-store advertising within the context of the Bargain Booze trading style. However it is important – particularly in advertising that appears outside of the context of the Bargain Booze store – that advertising campaigns should not be seen to encourage excessive consumption.
  14. Bargain Booze Ltd. will not intentionally produce any advertising or marketing materials or campaigns that encourage the consumption of alcohol in connection to activities or locations wherein the drinking of alcohol would be unsafe or unwise (for example: driving, operating machinery, any activity relating to ‘extreme sports’, or any activity that requires concentration to be carried out safely).
  15. In the promotion of low alcohol drinks (those with an alcohol by volume content of between 0.5% and 1.2%) Bargain Booze Ltd. will not intentionally produce any advertising or marketing materials or campaigns that encourages consumption in relation to any activity that requires complete sobriety.
  16. Any sales promotions that take the form of consumer competitions employed within Bargain Booze or Thorougoods stores will adhere to the following criteria:
    1. There will be ‘no purchase necessary’ for consumers to enter unless some sort of ‘skilled’ element (e.g. – tie-breakers or multiple choice questions) is involved in the entry. Wherever possible the competition should be open to all consumers.
    2. Under the terms and conditions of such competitions no consumer under the age of 18 is eligible to enter.
    3. Every effort will be taken to ensure that such promotions are dealt with fairly and equitably and that – when partnering with another company in the running of such competitions – the partner company also holds such an ideal.
    4. All legal stipulations for the running of competitions will be followed, as will the requirements of the CAP Code.
  17. Bargain Booze Ltd. will always make every effort to ensure that prices and price promises are published in as clear and uncomplicated a fashion as possible.
  18. Where a recommended retail price is referred to, confirmation of this recommendation will always be sought, in writing, from the supplier from which the brand is sourced.
  19. .Where ‘basket comparisons’ are used as a marketing tool every effort will be made to ensure that the comparison is ‘like for like’, that the purchases were made on the same day and that the comparison should be displayed in a manner that is as fair and objective a manner as possible. Every effort will also be made to ensure that no confusion is created between different brand owner’s products, trademarks or trade names.
  20. Throughout all marketing and advertising, Bargain Booze Ltd. will endeavour to be fully self-regulating and to adhere to the sense of this policy and of the CAP Code.