As Iron Maiden arrives for the UK leg of their Legacy Of The Beast European Tour 2018, Robinsons Brewery and the band have announced a series of official Trooper pre- and post- tour parties.
These are designed to connect Maiden’s devoted fanbase and Trooper drinkers with the venues, bars and pubs that stock and support Trooper, their award-winning premium British beer.
The sold out UK leg of the Tour covers shows in Newcastle, Belfast, Aberdeen, Manchester and Birmingham, before finishing with two nights at London’s O2 Arena. And what better drink to accompany the experience than a pint (or two) of the band’s own Trooper beer; designed by lead singer Bruce Dickinson in collaboration with Robinson's Head Brewer Martyn Weeks in 2013.
The beer will be available in all UK tour arenas, along with several designated Trooper party pubs and bars, to ensure fans don’t go thirsty. Fans can drink a Trooper beer before and during the show, then continue the celebrations after the concert.
Ben Robinson, Director of Sales at Robinsons, explained, “In 2017, the Trooper parties proved to be a phenomenal success. In some arenas, Trooper was out-selling lager two to one whilst some of the pubs and bars involved had their best takings ever for the evening and have had continued success since.
'In Hard Rock Café in Manchester, Trooper was selling an 11-gallon cask every 13 minutes and most of the pubs and bars sold out of Trooper before the end of the evening – accomplishing one of our primary objectives in driving footfall into these venues.
'On the back of the success, those pubs that could carry on taking the beer have done so (the Baltic Fleet in Liverpool is a prime example of this) and the buzz has resulted in 39 permanent new stockists of the beer across the country including new accounts in London.”
Each designated party pub has been supported with official Trooper merch and POS kits containing Trooper banners, bunting, t-shirts and posters, badges and stickers to give away (while stocks last), together with promotion of their venues across Iron Maiden Beer’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Robinson continued, “Beer and Maiden is a winning combination, so we wanted to make sure that Trooper was available to everyone that wanted it; no easy feat when that’s all Iron Maiden fans – approximately 15 million of them!
'To do this, we looked closely at key demographics and style of the pubs to ensure the best fit. We also focussed on our current stockists of the beer to ensure we could drive further footfall into their establishments and thank them for their support of Trooper over the last 5 years.”
“All of the arenas were contacted in the months before the tour and were happy to help us, as they understand how important this is to the fans, who can now watch their favourite band whilst enjoying a pint of Trooper. Ultimately, the fans wanted it and we are happy to deliver the goods.”
The tour provides the perfect chance to introduce the brand to new pubs across the country and gain new listings for the beer whilst raising awareness for Trooper which, with several awards under its belt, including winning Gold at this year’s BBI awards, has proven that it can stand on its own as a serious ale in the UK market.
As one of the biggest rock acts ever, Iron Maiden’s fan base spans not just across the globe but across generations; resulting in some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the world. Trooper beer drinkers are incredibly loyal and actively seek out venues where the beer is stocked.
Robinsons Marketing Director David Bremner explained, “Looking at the customer journey, Trooper is truly unique, it literally drives fans into their nearest pub or supermarket. Fans find the beer, take a photo, and post it on Facebook. This, in turn, drives more fans to the pub or store, who clear the shelves and post a photo of an empty shelf.
'And what is also unparalleled and truly remarkable here is that this has all been achieved by word of mouth and social media. It just shows that, like most things, at the end of the day, it is the quality that counts.”