Branding with Purpose: Wye Valley Brewery Leads the Conversation at The Marketing Meetup - Worcester

Last week, the Worcester marketing community came together for The Marketing Meetup, this was only the second event – this time sponsored by Nifty Communications and hosted at the co-working space Vinegar Works on Foregate Street. This impactful event brought together marketers for connection and inspiration, featuring an insightful and down-to-earth keynote talk from Abbie Gadd, Head of Marketing at Wye Valley Brewery.

Abbie shared the story of Wye Valley Brewery’s brand refresh and what it really takes to modernise a brand while staying true to its heritage. From focus groups, field research, to the power of storytelling, Abbie’s message was clear – people buy people. Listening to them – customers, stakeholders and your own team – is more important than ever.

Abbie highlighted how Wye Valley Brewery leaned into customer feedback, ran hands-on focus groups and didn’t shy away from difficult questions. Branding changes should be built upon genuine dialogue. The result? A series of products that not only looks better but connects in a deeper way.

The Marketing Meetup events are the perfect vehicle to share those all-important ideas. As a national organisation, TMM has created the marketing version of TED Talks. It is a great opportunity to meet, chat, connect and share. As Fiona Brennan, the organiser of the Worcester TMM events said:

“As someone who dreads walking into a room full of strangers to make small talk, setting up The Marketing Meetup in Worcester has been nothing short of fabulous.

“The marketing community in Worcester is so welcoming. I've had people tell me how they came nervous and left with friends. For me, that's at the heart of what TMM does.

“Worcester often gets overlooked for events. It's great to bring people together, share stories and find out the exciting work that's going on in this city.”

The event also gave Nifty Comms a chance to underline their commitment to the local marketing community. With attendees from agencies, freelancers, in-house teams and start-ups, the room was full of energy, ideas, stories and perhaps the odd glass of wine.

"Connecting, sharing and learning from and with other marketers is a win-win in our game. I loved the first Marketing Meet-up I attended and had to get involved. It was a pleasure to introduce our client, Abbie from Wye Valley Brewery who was a fantastic key-note speaker and to showcase the Vinegar Works as a collaborative space. I'm looking forward to helping with the next one already," said Rachel Collison, Head of PR and Operations at Nifty Communications. 

The spirit of the Marketing Meetup is one of collaboration and inclusivity – a genuine opportunity to share, learn and build. As Abbie Gadd says, “People buy people”.

Missed this one? Don’t worry the next one is planned for September. If last week’s event was anything to go by, then you really can’t afford to miss out.

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Editors notes

The Marketing Meetup is a national organisation that brings people from the marketing world together. The events are similar in format to TED Talks and are geographical – Worcester has so far held two events. The next event is planned for September. The events are for marketers to meet up, network, share ideas, and build relationships. It is open to anyone from marketing to join. The last event attracted MD’s all the way down to Marketing students.