Whitbread, the UK’s leading hospitality brand, has announced that it has re-partnered with digital agency Engage after a competitive pitch.
The two companies have worked together since 2012 where Engage was appointed to create, mould and deliver digital services including a digital strategy, social media and content creation, PPC, e-marketing, and website assets.
Five agencies, including Engage, took part in the competitive pitch which took place due to Whitbread needing to drive its digital strategy and innovate its online presence. Whitbread chose to re-partner with Engage due to the proven success of the partnership, the flexibility of the team, and the consistent creativity and innovation that have been delivered over the past nine years.
Caroline Dickens, Senior Marketing Operations Manager at Whitbread, added: “We’re really excited about the next period of growth for our restaurant brands, and we needed a strong digital partner in place who can support us effectively over the next few years to achieve our aims.
“Engage has been an integral part of our Marketing Team since 2012, supporting all of our restaurant brands with digital marketing activity, and our choice to re-appoint them is testament to the team’s hard work and consistently strong results they’ve delivered. We’re looking forward to continuing working with the agency and driving new customers as we begin to move out of the pandemic.”
The new strategy will see Engage deliver expert digital marketing solutions for Whitbread’s restaurant division, including Beefeater, Bar + Block, and Brewers Fayre. The services provided by Engage will include a brand new strategy, campaign delivery, social media management, e-marketing, PPC and the digital launch of new locations.
Dom Mernock, Director at Engage, commented: “Although the competitive pitch was tough to win as the incumbent due to the world class agencies involved, we were determined to retain the partnership with one of our most valued clients and longest relationships.
“There will be over 10 people from across the agency working on the account to drive forward Whitbread’s digital strategy, and help them build back better after the pandemic.”
Whitbread is an ethically minded organisation with its ‘Force for Good’ sustainability programme which aims to ensure the brand has a positive impact on its stakeholders and the environment. This initiative aligns with Engage’s ethical mission, with the agency most recently becoming a certified B Corporation.
Founded as a small brewer in 1742, Whitbread is now an FTSE 100 company which owns Premier Inn, the UK’s largest hotel chain. The hospitality brand employs almost 30,000 people in over 1,200 Premier Inn hotels and restaurants across the UK, and serves over five million customers every month.
For more information about Engage’s work with Whitbread, please visit https://engageinteractive.co.uk/work/whitbread.