MERCER 2023 REVIEW + 2024 STRATEGIC APPROACH
AGENDA
OVERVIEW OF MERCER +
BRANIGAN PARTNERSHIP
MERCER CULINARY
BARFLY BY MERCER
MERCER SPORT
OUR PARTNERSHIP
PARTNERSHIP TIMELINE
2021
2022
2023
SOLIDIFIED THE FOUNDATION
DEVELOPED ORIGINAL CONTENT
AMPLIFIED INFLUENCER ACTIVATIONS
for overall messaging and content strategies
with an established look and feel for each brand
for all brands and refined creative
CONTENT EVOLUTION FOR MERCER CULINARY
2021
2023
.png)
2021
.png)
2023
CONTENT EVOLUTION
FOR BARFLY MIXOLOGY GEAR
EXPANSION OF SOCIAL PLATFORMS FOR ALL BRANDS
total profiles
6 10
2021
2023
FOLLOWER GROWTH
2021
2023
28%
53%
Annual average growth in followers for Instagram business accounts is 15% per year
INFLUENCER PROGRAM GROWTH
Garnered 8.04M impressions through partnerships
Identified and fine-tuned long term content creator partnerships
Continue to grow an engaged online community for each of the three Mercer brands, with a primary focus on ensuring tailored digital content authentically speaks to honed audience personas, while leveraging industry and influencer partnerships and UGC amplification.
This approach will build affinity and connection between Mercer and its distinct, yet intertwined, markets to put each brand in the consideration set for industry professionals, buyers and distributors.
But what are we missing? Where can we continue to grow?
COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES FOR 2024
WHAT WORKED IN 2023?
TOP-PERFORMING POST
Impressions: 8,077
Engagement Rate: 24.9%
Top-performing social content and partnerships spoke to the audience and told a complete story but didn’t directly sell to them.
WHY DID THESE THINGS WORK?
INDUSTRY AND COMPETITOR INSIGHT & OPPORTUNITIES
PERCEPTION OF MERCER CULINARY AND COMPETITORS IN THE INDUSTRY
By analyzing competitors and leaders in the culinary industry, we’ve identified opportunities for Mercer Culinary to own a space in the industry while also shifting consumers’ perceptions of the brand.
"
Chefs rely on social media for culinary trends, but do not follow influencers or “recipe how to videos” since they already know the process, they just want you to get to the point and share what the next big thing is.
- Chef James (Food & Wine)
"
CULINARY STRATEGY
AUDIENCE PRIORITIZATION & CONTENT REFOCUS
FOCUS FOR 2024
Focus on professional chefs first and foremost and how Mercer Culinary can be a resource for them – not only for tools, but also industry trends, best practices, networking – with content that also appeals to home chefs on an aspirational level.
CULINARY BRAND PERSONA
OUR APPROACH
Drawing on our previous conversations with the Mercer teams, we believe these approaches will help us grow the culinary community in the most impactful way possible.
RECOMMENDATION
Audience Research and Development
APPROACH
Conduct market research to see where, when and how chefs are interacting online to build a more engaged community across social media and beyond.
.png)
.png)
.png)
CURATED CONTENT
INDUSTRY
ELEVATION
TOP-PERFORMING POST
Engagement Rate: 8.15%
Impressions: 7,046
WHAT WORKED IN 2023?
WHY DID THESE THINGS WORK?
Top content gave users something relevant, informational and exciting to engage with.
BARFLY BY MERCER INDUSTRY AND COMPETITOR INSIGHT & OPPORTUNITIES
HEADWINDS
The bar equipment industry is competitive with many manufacturers and suppliers creating similar variations of classic bar tools.
Increasing environmental awareness has led to barware manufacturers being under pressure to develop more environmentally friendly products.
2024
BARFLY STRATEGY
EMBRACE BRAND DIFFERENTIATORS AND AUDIENCE TRAITS
FOCUS FOR 2024
Align brand personality with our target audience to build recognition in a congested industry through event experiences, updated voice and look/feel, and by leaning into key product and brand differentiators.
BARFLY SOCIAL BRAND PERSONA
To grow the Barfly community and increase engagement, we recommend incorporating these approaches in 2024.
OUR APPROACH
RECOMMENDATION
Content Development Customized to Barfly’s Brand Persona
APPROACH
Elevate owned content mix by integrating social-first assets produced with bartenders, industry professionals and partners.
Work with the marketing and sales teams to identify featured products, content, etc.
Cross-promote Culinary and Barfly portfolios to lift comprehensive brand offerings.
.png)
.png)
GRITTY + MO0DY
.png)
.png)
MOVEMENT
"
Mixing alcohol coverage with food and overall destination experience is a much better story than just posting a photo of a bottle.
- Deke Dunne
head bartender and beverage director at Allegory DC
"
TOP-PERFORMING PARTNERSHIP
Engagement Rate: 447
Impressions: 5.6k
WHAT WORKED IN 2023?
TOP-PERFORMING
POST
Impressions: 254
Engagement Rate: 7.0%
Top-performing social and partnership content focused on the performance and versatility of the product – one of the top-selling points for the target audience.
WHY DID THESE THINGS WORK?
MERCER SPORT INDUSTRY AND COMPETITOR INSIGHT & OPPORTUNITIES
HEADWINDS
The crowded and competitive industry can lead to price pressure and reduced profit margins.
Sporting goods companies are facing scrutiny for their use of certain materials and manufacturing processes that can impact their ecological footprint.
MERCER SPORT STRATEGY
BUILD AND ESTABLISH DIGITAL COMMUNITY
FOCUS FOR 2024
Steer away from catalog-style content that can appear overly salesy, instead focusing on content that looks similar to what is shared by community members.
SPORT SOCIAL BRAND PERSONA
Increase brand awareness in a crowded industry by establishing Mercer Sport’s niche in the market.
OUR APPROACH
RECOMMENDATION
Create Action-Focused, Lifestyle Content
APPROACH
Organize and execute season-specific photo and video shoots with a professional photographer to produce campaign-based and monthly content.
.png)
.png)
CASUAL + RAW
EXPERIENCE DRIVEN
SIMPLISTIC
THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
