The power of video in content strategy

01 Challenge

Wadworth—an independent family brewery that’s been brewing since 1875—needed a digital refresh. They came to Brew for support, professional guidance and management of their digital content strategy, with a particular focus on social media content creation and paid social media. 

Once we sat down with Wadworth over a brew, four challenges were discovered: 

  • Resource: They needed extra hands to be able to create, post, and manage their content on their social media platforms. 
  • Strategy: Our expertise was needed to formulate key content pillars and themes that help communicate key messages across the digital channels: Real Brewing, Real Pubs, Real People. 
  • Content: Wadworth needed high-quality photography and videos that would bring these messages to life across their different comms. 
  • Change in leadership: The Wadworth brewery was being taken under the leadership of Toby Bartholomew, the fifth generation of the family to become the Managing Director of Wadworth, signalling a time of transformation for the family-run brewery from 2021 and beyond. 
Client

Wadworth Brewery

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02 Approach

Long-form video strategy. 

Consumption and engagement of video content is at an all-time high, so we set out to propose a high-level, premium, long-form film series that highlighted the future vision for Wadworth, while also articulating their core pillars.  

By breaking this video series into four short films, we knew we could highlight the areas that make Wadworth distinct, creating engaging content that could resonate with their audience across Wadworth’s website and social media.  

We teamed up with film producer and all round great guys, Storyman, to bring these films to life and make sure Wadworth’s story was told in the best possible way.

Film 1: A future driven by heritage. 

We kicked off the series with Toby Bartholomew talking about Wadworth’s future aspirations, looking at how their heritage has instilled the values that will lead the brewery into the future.   

This film featured: 

  • Beloved Wadworth beers 
  • Behind-the-scenes with the Wadworth team 
  • A focus on customer experience investments to enhance pub visits in a time of COVID restrictions 

It was important for people to see what Wadworth are doing as an independent brewery to stay true to their roots while also innovating for the future. 

Film 2: So much more than beer. 

The second film showcased another key ingredient to the Wadworth business: the food. 

This food is such an important part of the customer experience, and their new Executive Development Chef, Andrew Scott—with his years of experience from Great British Menu 2016 to working in Michelin star restaurants—shared the importance of food, how vital it is to use locally sourced and traceable produce, and plans for 2021 onwards under his culinary stewardship. 

Film 3: Pouring the perfect pint. 

The third instalment in the film series looks at the journey of the perfect pint, something Wadworth know a lot about. 

Here, we follow the beer to its journey from brewing to transport and delivery, all the way to being pulled in a Wadworth pub for a thirsty local. 

This film aimed to capture everything that goes into that perfect pint and revealed that what makes the beer so quintessentially Wadworth is drinking it in a Wadworth pub; the atmosphere, the service, the team, the dogs, the story, the signs, the managed houses, the tenancies—it’s the true Wadworth experience. 

Film 4: Long-form video strategy 

The final film aimed to mix all these elements together and really highlight what makes Wadworth the brewery it is, using their Brewery Tap & Shop to share: 

  • The running of the Wadworth shop 
  • The Wadworth tap room 
  • The sign shop 
  • The shire horses 
  • Wadworth events 
  • The importance of Wadworth’s presence in Devizes over the last 150 years.  

Watch all four films here

03 Outcome

After collaborating with Brew, Wadworth now have a clear path for their digital content strategy, including key content planners to guide focused, engaging comms with a collection of high-quality video and imagery to support. 

In the 9 months from January to September 2021, Wadworth’s social media saw results worth toasting to: 

  • +6% growth in community size 
  • +145% Instagram reach  
  • Film content that reached over 95,000 eyeballs  

+6% growth in community size

+145% Instagram reach

Film content that reached over 95,000 eyeballs

Like what you see?

Does your brand need a digital refresh or long-form video content strategy? Then get in touch.