Greene King: Supporting grassroots sports clubs

The challenge

Greene King wanted to test a purposeful marketing campaign to drive sales of their flagship beer, Greene King IPA. The Marketing team called ActionFunder with two pieces of insight: Greene King IPA consumers like local sports clubs and local sports clubs need support after two years of covid lockdowns leading to reduced use and reduced funding.

The solution: Proud to Pitch In

Greene King launched the Proud to Pitch In campaign in 2021 to celebrate grassroots sport.  From an initial pilot fund of £20,000, Proud to Pitch In has grown into a monthly rolling fund aiming to distribute £1 million to local sports clubs. Funds are raised through product sales, with 10p from every pint of IPA sold in pubs and 50p from every 4 pack pooled to distribute to sports clubs. 

Sports influencers James Haskell and Robbie Savage have raised awareness of the campaign and point-of-sale promotion on packaging and in pubs have driven consumer engagement. QR codes allow consumers to nominate sports clubs. Entries have ranged from LGBTQIA+ rugby teams to tennis for mental health, accessible bowling, and wheelchair basketball.

“It’s really great to see Proud to Pitch In having an impact on the bottom line as well as in communities. A huge thanks to ActionFunder for getting this campaign off the ground and making it easy to run and improve the programme so that all consumers have to do is buy a pint and they’ve helped community sport.”

• Emma Hibbert, Head of Marketing, Cask Beer Brands, Greene King