Virtual Success: Revitalising the Global Bar Industry

Considering the reduced resources and pressures on the hospitality industry by the end of 2020, the UK alone reportedly suffering 200m worth of sales loss every day, our strategy was to leverage and pivot DBA’s online channels - website, Facebook and Instagram to provide educational and inspirational-led activities that would revitalise businesses and build a stronger community and foundation into the future.

The activities Smarts executed included a ground-breaking social media campaign to mark World Bartender Day, a key date in bartenders’ calendars; a disruptive and reputable virtual Masterclass Series and also an extremely practical and accessible downloadable tool - Little Book of Highballs, filled with unique recipes to equip bar professionals as they sought greater inspiration and responded to ever-changing customer behaviours. These activities were delivered against a budget of 100k.

To mark WBD 2021, Smarts was challenged with creating global activity on behalf of DBA that would instill a sense of pride in the global bartending community. Given the ongoing challenges, Smarts sensitively approached this activity, producing a community-led video, giving power to the voices within the community and around the world.

Results: Total Facebook Reach = 692,898 (more than doubling DBA’s average FB reach of 346,449); Total FB Engagement = 409,791 (doubling DBA’s average FB engagement of 204,895) ;Total Instagram Reach = 912,247 (DBA Average Reach = 456,123); Total IG Engagement = 268,186 (DBA Average Engagement = 134,093)

 As Smarts and DBA sought to provide greater resources for bar professionals, and webinars became an increasingly important way to communicate, Smarts creative teams worked to create Zoom-led sessions. Masterclass sessions were scripted and delivered interactively, inviting an expert-led panel to lead each session.

Results: The masterclass series obtained 140k+ Views to Masterclass Landing Page; 10K+ sign ups & 1.5k+ Average Monthly Views. Record breaking results in comparison to related events.

This DBA x Smarts campaign generated levels of digital growth beyond what was thought imaginable - surpassing KPIs across the board, and more than doubling its global users in 2021.