The challenge

How do you launch two new craft beers in a market flooded with hoppy hopefuls all looking to be the next go-to pint?

That was the challenge Greene King presented to us ahead of launching their latest brews, Level Head and Flint Eye. While the beers themselves went down easy, the brand felt a little flat among younger audiences in a market that prides itself on being interesting.

So, armed with a focused, human-first strategy and modest budget, we set out to let 18-44 ABC1 craft beer drinkers know that Greene King was ready to rule.

We dispelled myths and widened appeal to take Greene King into the top five craft brewers of the nation.

The solution

Through research, we debunked the myth that craft beer is only for younger consumers, revealing that beer drinkers span all ages. We then developed a bespoke survey, using factor analysis and statistical clustering to uncover buying behaviours.

While 25% of consumers were unlikely to be swayed, 30% were open to trying craft beer with the right offer. Crucially, we identified a key segment—21% of consumers, dubbed “cutting-edge craft,” who love experimenting with new beers.

Targeting this group maximised budget efficiency and boosted product trials. Then, by using insights from our research, we further refined our segmentation to shape Greene King’s media strategy for maximum impact.

The impact

With our data-driven approach, Greene King has become the fourth largest craft brewer (up from sixth in 2022), closing the gap on key competitors by 36% in volume sales. Last year, Level Head achieved the second-highest sales rate of any craft beer, despite being eleventh in distribution, with Flint Eye ranking as the second-highest selling craft lager.

With a £950k budget, our campaign boosted sales by 21.8% in key London areas versus regions with no ATL media, outperforming £26M+ competitor spend and a challenging 0.1% growth in the draught category. Now, that’s something to drink to.

Greene King | Annabel South, Senior Brand Manager

“Behave's targeting made sure we hit the right people in the right locations at the right time to significantly grow our brand.”