No froth in marketing plan for Sussex brewery
Marketing Strategy students visit the Dark Star brewery
Undergraduate students of the autumn term Marketing Strategy module have developed a strategic marketing plan for Dark Star, a successful brewer of Real Ale located in Sussex.
During the first lecture of the autumn term, students were introducted to the company's history, ambition and challenges by Dark Star's Managing Director Paul Reed, while Marketing Director James Cuthbertson explained current trends and developments of the market for Real Ale.
The students then set off to develop a five-year strategic marketing plan for competitive positioning using the theory introduced during the lecture.
Halfway through the process, students were given an opportunity to visit the Dark Star brewery in Partridge Green, West Sussex, and to interview Paul and James.
A bespoke database provided by the Office of National Statistics was used to develop a detailed segmentation of the market and to identify potential targets for growth.
The opportunity to develop a strategic marketing plan for a local business was considered by many students a unique opportunity and an invaluable experience.
Paul Reed commented on the experience: “As we had expected, both James and I enjoyed being quizzed about the business and its plans and we’d love to do something similar again sometime.”
René Moolenaar, Tutorial Fellow and Module Convenor, said: “There is no substitute for being given the opportunity to apply the theory to a real local business - it brings the theory to life.”