Our Brands

Banks's

Local Heritage

Banks's successful 'Seven Wonders' promotion has scooped a top industry accolade.

Seven Wonders, which aimed to stir up regional pride by reinforcing local heritage, was named best PR Campaign in The Drinks Business Awards 2005.

Judges were wowed by the way it got people talking about Banks's through the celebration of what's great about the Midlands and Black Country. "This was a regional campaign executed to perfection," said the report. And it certainly did that: 3.5 million listeners were targeted via messages on BRMB radio, it attracted press coverage worth around £100,000 and, most importantly, sales of Banks's rose by 7%.

The campaign was run in over 1,500 pubs and 200 supermarkets across the region. Everyone who has voted for the most popular wonder was entered into a prize draw to win a trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon and various other runners up prizes. Hayley Aldous, Marketing Manager for Banks's, said:

"We had thousands of entries, so this is a campaign that people have obviously been really passionate about."

Following on from the success of 'Seven Wonders', Banks's has launched a campaign to help protect the Black Country and Birmingham dialects from extinction.

The region's accents could disappear according to research commission by Banks's - 'Now Y'am Talking' aims to raise awareness and celebrate the way people talk in the area.

The University of Wolverhampton carried out research, looking at current trends in how 'natives' speak. Following a series of detailed interviews, it became obvious that there is a move away from the Black Country and Birmingham accents towards a more standardised English.

Course leader Dr Urszula Clark said:

"The research shows that dialects in the West Midlands are changing because of the way they are viewed by people from other regions and the fact that they can create a negative impression. This means that we have to record and celebrate the dialect before it's too late so it's great that Banks's have got involved at this stage."

On a more positive note people in the Black Country are very proud of the way that they speak, with more than 85% of those taking part agreeing that they think regional accents are important.

Throughout May, pubs across the region are holding special West Midlands Quizzes to test customers' knowledge about all aspects of life in the area, from pop music to sport, and even its folklore to support the campaign.

Banks's Marketing Manager Hayley Aldous said:

"Everybody interviewed was very proud of their regional dialect, and this is what our campaign is all about. We want to help preserve the uniqueness of the West Midlands dialects and celebrate the differences, whilst having some fun and encouraging a good debate."

The research also demonstrated that the Black Country and Birmingham dialects have their own vocabulary dating back to a period of Old English, with words such as Thee, Thy and Thou still being used. 'Ow b'ist' ('how beist thou?') is a common greeting, with the typical answer being 'bay too bah' ('I bayn't be too bad').

Other popular words and phrases were 'it ay' meaning 'it isn't', 'babby' meaning 'baby', 'alf baerked' meaning stupid, and 'blarting', meaning 'crying', while one of the key characteristics was the loss of letters from words, especially 'h' and 'p'. For example, Wolverhampton is pronounced 'Wolveramton'.

Please enjoy our products responsibly. See www.drinkaware.co.uk for advice.