Event 360 is Event and sister title C&IT‘s annual summit of inspiration and insight, held yesterday (25 May) at Building Six at The O2.Mark Dawkins, co-founer and co-owner of Charter Brands, which launched Langley’s No. 8 Gin three years ago, told attendees that with consumers increasingly hard to market to, particularly within the premium drinks market, it’s vital to have a creative approach.

“At the premium end of the market, price is not a consideration – consumers are buying with their eyes and other senses and in our case, it’s important to get a gin in front of them and serve it in an interesting way,” said Dawkins.

He also explained how consistency has been an important element of the brand’s activation strategy, referencing how Langley’s activated at the Badminton Horse Trials in 2015, an experience that was repeated this year, but on a bigger scale.

“We saw an opportunity to build a long-term association [with Badminton], but you can’t do this after one year,” added Dawkins. “You have to persevere for a while – we’ve done Badminton for two years now.”

Dawkins and Nic Koster, founder of Garnish Communications, also spoke about the launch in 2015 of the brand’s signature serve, Langley’s G&B, which included gin masterclasses and pop-up bars.