Steel Keg Association - Keg Champion Awards UK

The Change Agency Guides SKA to the Successful Launch of the Inaugural UK Keg Champion Awards

Stemming from the success of the US Keg Champion Award, the Steel Keg Association decided to cross the pond and look for winners in the UK.

As part of World Refill Day, the UK Keg Champion Awards looked to honour and celebrate pubs, bars, breweries, and restaurants embracing the remarkable benefits reusable steel kegs and casks deliver through sustainability, efficiency and a fresh experience most consumers can’t get at home.

Being a UK-based agency, the SKA asked the Change Agency team to lead the campaign. Here’s how we supported them:

1. Campaign Strategy

With the US campaign being such a success, we kept the foundations of it, but it was imperative that the nuisances of the UK market had to be built in. We built our strategy on four principles that would help us win for the UK audience:
1. How to be seen (cut through the noise)
2. How to spark interest (deeper engagement)
3. How to take action (nominating your own/another company) and
4. How to grow a sense of belonging (generate constant re-engagement)
From here, we worked out our tactics and mechanisms to deliver this campaign.
2. Creative Content

A crucial part of our communication (points 1 & 2 of the Campaign Strategy) was through social media and content that delivered intrigue and packed a punch. We produced content in different themes and styles to attract our target audience – from hard-hitting environmental facts to emotional messaging that evokes celebration/achievement and topical content that fits existing news and trends. All these soft and hard messaging were designed to drive people to the nomination landing page.
3. Advertising

To reach the ~+150,000 pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK, our social advertising played a crucial role – targeting the right audience and decision-maker and maximising the budget allocated to drive nominations. Through a 1.5-month advertising period, we lowered our CPM by 11% weekly through detailed targeting, analytics, and campaign optimisations.
4. Logistics & Operations

As an agency with a widespread network across the UK, we were able to plan and coordinate the logistics of this campaign. This all culminated in the lead-up to World Refill Day, where we travelled across the country from Manchester, Suffolk, Birmingham, Alcester, and London to present one of, if not the largest trophy ever – the iconic green steel keg!
5. Videography

Throughout this presentation week, we captured interviews with each brewery, their brewery culture, operations, and way of life. These were filmed in long-form content and short clips released as Instagram stories.
6. Photography

In conjunction with the videography, we shot still photography that can be used across our own social media and the brewery’s accounts. As we travelled from one brewery to another, we edited the shots and prepared them for release, so there weren’t any delays for when the winners were announced.

Vishal Ladwa, the MD of The Change Agency, said…

“What a week and what a campaign! We travelled hundreds of miles nationwide, culminating in a powerful campaign. It gave me such a sense of happiness to present the largest trophy ever to the winners as a mark of their great beer and efforts towards sustainability. What more could you want - the best brews in the country matched with the feeling of doing something good for the world.”

Dan Vorlage, Executive Director of The Steel Keg Association, said…

“As a global, non-profit marketing organisation, it’s imperative that we invest our time and dollars in programs and partners that break through. With the Change Agency, we found a true partner helping us launch a new awards program, enabling us to get the word out to the UK hospitality industry about the benefits reusable steel kegs deliver.”

Results

+3k nominations

2.17 million impressions

1.34 million reach

6.45% engagement rate

+17k unique link clicks

28.6k Thruplays

NATIONAL PUB/RESTAURANT

Stonegate Group
Originally formed in 2010 with 333 pubs, Stonegate Group is now the largest pub company in the UK with a vast portfolio home to over 4,500 sites, including iconic brands such as Slug & Lettuce, Walkabout and Be At One. Strongly believing the pub is the heart of the British culture and investing in fantastic guest experiences and sustainable business practices, Stonegate is an undisputed leader in the hospitality industry.
Selected Charity: Motor Neuron Disease Association
REGIONAL RESTAURANT

Bundobust
Vibrant Indian street food served with craft beer on draft in friendly communal spaces, Bundobust now boasts five bustling locations in England. Their rapid growth is fueled by their sustainable ethos (consumers are surprised to learn that the meals are vegetarian only) and beer on tap produced fresh, nearby in the Bundobust brewery. They are worthy recipients of the coveted green keg!
Selected Charity: Platt Fields Market Garden
LOCAL RESTAURANT

St. John Restaurant Group
Draft beer not only thrives in British pubs, but in MICHELEN starred restaurants including world-renowned St. John Restaurant. Chef and author Fergus Henderson and his business partner Trevor Gulliver preside over this “breathtaking cult restaurant” (according to a recent review in the Financial Times). Their commitment to seamlessly blending both sustainable practices AND exceptional customer experiences into their operation is evident through their “Nose to Tail” cooking, and meticulously curated and served draft beer.
Selected Charity: StreetSmart Action for the Homeless
LARGE BREWERY

Adnams Brewing Company
Adnams produces grain-to-glass beers using locally grown ingredients and has done for 150 years. They have received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, three times, marking them out at as one of the UK’s leading businesses for sustainable practices. As champions of sustainability in the brewing industry they are worthy recipients of an inaugural Keg Champion award.
Selected Charity: Adnams Community Trust
MID-SIZED BREWERY

Purity Brewing Co
Since 2005, Trail blazers Jim and Paul set out not only to produce great quality beer every time but to do it in a way that had the least impact on the environment. Sustainability has always been close to their hearts as they brew beer which is ‘crafted with a conscience’. Underpinned by their B-Corp accreditation, measured through their annual Carbon Emissions Report, recognised as the 3-time winner of the SIBA Green Business Award, and now celebrated with a Green Keg.
Selected Charity: Pancreatic Research Fund
SMALL BREWERY

Toast Ale
Since 2016, Toast Ale has brewed quality beers, while nudging positive action for the planet. Using surplus fresh bread (that would otherwise be wasted) in their brewing process, and donating all profits to charities fixing the food system. They were the first B-Corp certified brewery in the UK (plus the highest scoring) and now have gained global recognition as an inaugural Keg Champion!
Selected Charity: Plant Life & City To Sea
DRAFT INNOVATION

The Tap House Notts
Just because draft beer in Ireland and the UK is steeped in tradition, and woven into the fabric of our communities, does not mean there’s no room for innovation. Look no further than self-pour technology early adopter Tap House Notts where customers can experience the feel of pouring a proper pint, an experience typically known only to the bartender.
Selected Charity: Street Support Nottingham