LANDMARK Fremantle pub, the Sail and Anchor, has enlisted the services of Perth’s newest advertising agency, Gatecrasher, to promote a $1.5 million dollar facelift.
Sail and Anchor Pub and Brewery marketing manager Keiran Baker said the refurbishment will bolster the pub’s strong market position.
“We’re the market leaders here and the market has slowly caught up to us … nothing has been done to the pub since 1984 when we took over ,” Mr Baker said.
“We’ve always hung our hats on hand-crafted beer and we’re just elevating everything else to that high standard.”
The pub is undergoing a $1 million redevelopment in keeping with the building’s heritage status and investment worth $500,000 will double the brewery’s production capacity.
The refurbishment will deliver some new features for the pub, including an al fresco-dining concept, which is currently awaiting council approval.
The Sail and Anchor Pub and Brewery would like to provide a complete experience for patrons from fine dining to an interactive brewery tour. Gatecrasher will develop material for the four-week relaunch of the hotel.
Gatecrasher picked up this high-profile account, previously handled by Bowtell Clarke and Yole, following a competitive three-way contest. Gatecrasher client services director Tony Scampoli said Gatecrasher was chosen as a third option in the pitch for the business.
“It (the account) was put out to market and we were recommended as a third option on the tender process. They already had two agencies sel-ected MJB&B and Bowtell Clarke and Yole,” Mr Scampoli said.
“The public relations agency for the Sail and Anchor had seen material about a new agency … and the marketing manager felt it needed a third option and one that was a little bit left of centre.”
From the heydays of the mid-1980s through to the early ’90s, the Sail and Anchor was the heart of Fremantle’s vibrant pub scene, but new developments in Fremantle have put pressure on the market.
“The Sail and Anchor is investing a lot of money in redeveloping the pub and what they want is an agency with an idea to reposition the hotel and get back to number one,” Mr Scampoli said.
