All Good, or Social Networks as a Negotiation Weapon

All good It may be a 'very ordinary' lager, but influencer Average Rob proves the power of marketing like no one else can…

From hype to fame

Tout Bien Pils, like the YouTuber himself, wants to be an “average” beer brand: Tout Bien wants to be an ordinary, tasty Belgian beer. However, the success of the young brand is anything but average, in terms of marketing. At the Retail Marketing Day on September 19, its CEO Wim Maeyens (formerly of Duvel) will explain how Tout Bien Pils combines creativity, strategic partnerships and a strong online presence to create a unique brand story.

The first batch of Tout Bien Pils 2022 sold out in a matter of hours, which shows how quickly social media can make things happen. Then the next step began: how do you turn a buzz into a real brand that is present in all the major supermarkets in a very saturated market? Maeyens knows that it is all about thinking about mutual partnerships: what is the value of a small company for the big players in Belgium?

“Attracting new customers to the store”

When Tout Bien hit the shelves at Delhaize, the lager brand made a video that went viral on Linkedin. For the subsequent launches at Colruyt and Albert Heijn, Average Rob dressed up as an employee to announce them. “Through these collaborations, we can significantly expand our reach and attract a large audience, while the supermarkets attract new audiences to their stores. It’s a win-win situation: they get new customers and we get a platform to grow our brand.”

Spilling the social media envelope, the new Tout Bien Rouge was available exclusively at Prik&Tik drinks retailers for a few weeks this year, including the giveaway of a unique beer pong table. At the Belgian music festival Pukkelpop, Average Rob worked the checkout at the Colruyt store near Zonhoven for a day before his DJ set at the Boiler Room, resulting in a queue of 170 people.

Creativity and intuition as the basis of entrepreneurship

“Our marketing strategy is based on creativity and authenticity. We don’t want to go the traditional route. On the contrary, we always try to do something new and exciting. This type of promotion creates a lot of excitement among consumers and strengthens relationships with retailers in different regions.”

One of the biggest challenges is to maintain this unique position by continuing to innovate. “Our main goal is to create value for our customers and consumers. So we have to constantly prove ourselves and think together about creative ways to market our product.”

This summer, Tout Bien is organising a real pop-up with OKay (another chain of the Colruyt group) during the Ghent Festivities. “The idea file is still full. It’s great to be able to evolve in such a unique position on the market as an agile start-up. I look forward to sharing our story,” concludes Maeyens.

The Retail Marketing Day on September 19th features keynotes from Carrefour, Tom & Co, Standaard Boekhandel, Tout Bien Pils, LolaLiza, Voyado and many more!