Mitchells & Butlers, the company which owns All Bar One, has appointed two agencies – AIS London and Underwired – to create a digital marketing strategy across a number of its top pub brands.
The account, which also covers the Toby Carvery, Harvester and O’Neill’s outlets, was won without a pitch.
AIS is to work on a consultancy basis, developing strategies for email, social media and mobile channels, as part of plans to build closer relationships between the restaurant and pub operator and its customers.
Underwired will also to help the company develop its digital customer engagement, as well as its data strategy.
Paul Madden, head of digital at M&B, said: “AIS brings extensive digital experience and strategic leadership which will contribute significantly to the continued growth of our capabilities in an efficient and scalable manner. Underwired demonstrated a clear strength in the area of customer relationship management and understand how to maximise engagement through a robust data strategy.”
The All Bar One concept (pictured) was originally designed by two women who wanted to open a ‘female friendly’ bar at a time when they found that most pubs and bars were intimidating places for single women to go and drink or eat, so most have the huge glass frontage, open plan space and bright airy interiors.
Formed in 1898 by the merger of Henry Mitchell’s Crown Brewery and the William Butler’s Brewery, M&B has annual sales of nearly £2bn. The group’s 1,600 businesses served about 435 million drinks and 125 million meals each year.
Having sold over 333 pubs to Stonegate Pub Company to pull out of the late-night high-street bar market, the company now concentrates on the food-driven pubs.
