Has St Austell Brewery done a proper job of redesigning Proper Job?

Following St Austell Brewery redesigning its Proper Job brand, db assesses if the makeover will entice new drinkers, or put off loyal fans.

Speaking to the drinks business, St Austell Brewery marketing and communications director Laura McKay said: “This rebrand is all about fusing heritage and craft of the beer with relevance for today’s drinkers.”

St Austell explained how, because the beer brand has such a loyal following, that any rebrand needed to make sure it didn’t “stray too far from its roots” but instead find a way to evolve the brand to give new drinkers reasons to try it.

McKay told db: “Proper Job is a leading brand in beer and one that we know so many people love. Because of its loyal fanbase, we didn’t want to stray too far from its roots, rather secure its future by evolving the brand to invite the next generation of drinkers in.”

The redesign features a new typeface and Proper Job’s iconic green has been made more prominent. The rebrand will include new glassware and pump clips in pubs, as well as new look bottles and can packs in supermarkets.

But, why has St Austell chosen now as the right time to update its image? In answering what the new redesign fulfils that the previous design didn’t communicate, McKay admitted that the business had been spurred on by the success it had seen when it rebranded its Korev lager. A move that, essentially, gave it the push it needed to reconsider Proper Job.

McKay explained: “There’s definitely not a burning platform with the brand – in fact, Proper Job remains one of the most popular in the IPA category,” but said that St Austell didn’t “want to rest on our laurels” because “the beer market has moved on massively in the last few years”.

Admittedly, McKay highlighted how “it had been a little while” since St Austell had looked at the branding for Proper Job and it recognised that it needed “to continue to work hard to bring shoppers into premium ale and cask and felt it was now time to lean on the brand and elevate it”.

She added that the Cornish brewery was “spurred on by the success of the Korev rebrand and know that Proper Job has more legs to it than to stand still in its category despite its ongoing success”.

According to McKay, “the rebrand was to focus on bringing an offering to beer connoisseurs looking for real quality” and she pointed out how “St Austell has a long history of being a trustworthy and reputable brewer across its beer portfolio, old and new”. This means that “Proper Job’s new look is about taking that heritage to the next level in an approachable and contemporary way” and referenced the rebrand as “stand-out” which will “strike a balance between enticing new drinkers whilst appealing to existing”.

She observed that, “given its breadth of pack types” St Austell recognised the rebrand also gives the brewery “an exciting opportunity to proudly bring some innovation into cask in the on trade, while opening further opportunities in the right outlets for keg distribution too”.

Following talk over the IPA market being over-saturated, St Austell has said that it will do what it can to work harder to stay relevant within such a crowded marketplace. Last year, db reported on how British beer was potentially poised to replace ‘aggressive’ New World flavour trends with the New World hopped IPA market being over-populated, presenting an opportunity for British beers.

As McKay said: “Proper Job has stood the test of time – we released it in 2006 far before the beer boom, and it’s been a firm favourite amongst drinkers ever since. But the beer market has moved on significantly, which is why we’ve taken the rebrand route to evolve its look and push forward the premium cues of the brand, giving it a bold new look to cut through and expand its audience.”

Although St Austell has stayed silent on the exact figure it has invested into the rebrand of Proper Job or the marketing support the beer will receive in the roll-out in pubs, bars and across retailers, it did tell db that “the rebrand is the biggest ever investment into the brand since it was launched”.

McKay added: “We’ll be supporting the rebrand with a multi-channel marketing plan in the spring, including online, print advertising and across social media.”

The newly-restyled Proper Job, which sits at 4.5% ABV, will be available on draught in pubs nationwide. Additionally, 5.5% ABV 500ml bottles and four-packs of 440ml cans will also be in all major supermarkets across the country.

Speaking after the budget last week, Austell Brewery chief executive Kevin Georgel, welcomed the government’s decision to extend the freeze in beer duty but highlighted the challenges that the sector still faced.

He observed that “the UK still has one of the highest levels of beer duty in Europe – 12 times higher than Germany” and pointed out how “British pubs are at the heart of their communities, but they remain over-taxed and under increasing pressure due to the impact of inflation, the cost of living, reduced footfall, and high operating costs”.

Understanding that the topic had been overlooked, Georgel said that because it was not addressed in the budget, the industry “urgently need the long-term reformation of business rates, a VAT cut, and more meaningful government support to reduce the tax burdens” felt within the sector which was still “one of the UK’s leading employers and social and economic contributors.”

A joint venture between Cornish breweries St Austell and Harbour was also recently revealed and will see the businesses opening a new beer venue together in Cornwall’s Charlestown.