Whitbread
From clicks to covers: Generating £1.6m in bookings for Whitbread
The challenge
Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, both part of the Whitbread family, serve up distinctly different dining experiences. However, with consumers across the UK tightening their belts due to the cost of living, they both needed a common ingredient: a smarter, sharper digital strategy to boost bookings and expand their email databases.
With both restaurants targeting similar audiences, a key challenge was to increase footfall while avoiding internal competition.
The strategy
Our audience and approach were split into two key strands: retain and win. Each demanded distinct strategies to maximise ROI while mitigating the risk of internal competition between the two brands.
For Brewers Fayre, we zeroed in on value-conscious families with young kids, tailoring the messaging to their everyday purchase habits. To keep the loyal over-60s coming back, we highlighted great value and a friendly, familiar vibe that made them feel right at home.
For Beefeater, we targeted older customers who love reliable brands, while also drawing in younger families looking for a laid-back dining experience.
The delivery
Paid Search
We ran localised campaigns using branded and non-branded terms, focusing on location and proposition-based keywords to attract active searchers. We regularly optimised the campaigns and refined keywords, while using variations of Responsive Search Ads to help find the most effective messages. We used broad match keywords initially for data, then shifted to phrase match, enhancing SERP visibility and budget control.
Paid Social
On Meta and TikTok, we targeted existing and new audiences with ongoing and seasonal campaigns, testing creative and bidding models to optimise performance for key occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Display Advertising
Through Programmatic Display, we boosted brand awareness and post-impression bookings, guiding users down the funnel with tailored messaging. AI-driven insights and creative testing allowed us to continually adapt and optimise, while immersive Instant Experience ads on Meta help drive engagement through interactive content.
“We couldn’t be happier with the campaign outcome, we’re thrilled with the recent award win, and we look forward to our continued partnership. Thanks to Engage for helping us hit our targets and congratulations to the team on a well-deserved win.”
Andy Burton - Senior Digital & E-Commerce Manager
The results
Despite tough market conditions and the risk of the two brands cannibalising each other, our Attention to Digital™ — from the laser-focused targeting and strategic channel selection to the continuous optimisation — really paid off.
And the results? Well, we didn’t just meet expectations; we blew them out of the water, winning both custom and loyalty at scale.
With 30,000 extra bookings, 338k marketing opt-ins, and a staggering £1.6m delivered in additional revenue. On top of that, we bagged the ‘Hospitality Campaign of the Year’ at the European Paid Search Awards. It’s safe to say we served up a digital feast.