“You need to connect with your audience to bring a brand to life”

Having joined Pernod Ricard in 2016 as National Ambassador for Altos Tequila, Jon returned to the UK to take up the Global Brand Ambassador, Beefeater Gin role during the summer of 2022. We caught up with Jon recently to discuss his career and role.

How did you ‘fall’ into the role of brand ambassador?

It became a goal of mine to become a brand ambassador since I first realised the role existed. Once I became aware of what an ambassador role entailed, I made sure that I had the skills needed. Every career decision I made for about five years from that point was to grow my network and credibility in the bartending industry with that end goal in mind. I first moved into management as head bartender followed by bar manager roles and then as a general manager at cocktail bars of all sizes in and around Toronto. I was also inspired by Ryan Powell, who was THE ambassador at Corby Spirit and Wine Limited, Canada’s leading marketer and distributor of spirits and wines. As his department grew, he started to put together a team of ambassadors and I just really liked the way they worked and their culture. I always liked the idea of throwing events to galvanise the community and bring people together to celebrate who they are. 

What skills and qualities do you need to have to become a brand ambassador?

You need to have an engaging personality so you can connect with your audience and bring your brand to life. You need to embody the brand and translate brand messages into a physical representation. While you don’t necessarily need to have been a bartender – I know a lot of great brand ambassadors that never worked in a bar – you need to understand the trade and have the respect of bartenders. Being flexible and agile, and using your initiative are important so you can find marketing opportunities that aren’t necessarily in the brand plan.

I’m never more at home than when I’m sitting at a bar talking to a great bartender.

Can you give an example of using your initiative to promote a brand?

With Beefeater, I want to connect with people who are in love with the city. Such people know that by living in cities they have to compromise, but they know that it is worth it because of the different energies that come with it. I can find that audience in a tattoo parlour as much as a top cocktail bar. It’s about understanding the brand and bringing that message to life. When I was working at Altos Tequila, one of the best events I did was at a hairdresser. It had a photo studio as well as a salon and once a year it held a party for their clients. Every demographic that you can name was there. It was a great environment and great for the brand with a tagline of bringing people together with a “my house is your house” narrative. Using your initiative is about the importance of having a network and understanding how it can open opportunities.

What is your main task and responsibility as a global brand ambassador?

A big part of my role is supporting the markets and making sure their ambassadors have all they need to activate the strategy that the global team has put together. We have 28 Beefeater ambassadors around the world and I enjoy being able to connect with them regularly, especially on our global calls every quarter where we share ideas and best practices, and where I bring in speakers for us to learn and grow together.

I make sure that they are armed with all the market information and data they need to be able to go out into the market. We’re also currently building our advocacy strategy, which includes a global trade show strategy and a distillery programme to give audiences such as bartenders and influencers a more evolved experience when they visit our home in London – including the chance to make their own gin. I am super excited about London Cocktail Week in October. We’ll be hosting a large group of international bartenders and influencers at the distillery for cocktails and dinner, I’ll be moderating a seminar on the evolution of cocktail culture, and we have a couple of pop-ups at the amazing Happiness Forgets in Hoxton. It is the first time in a while that we have been heavily involved in London Cocktail Week, but we are the Spirit of London so I’m very excited about it!

You can’t help but feel special when you drink a martini.

The bartender industry is important to you. How does this play out in your ambassador role?

I’m never more at home than when I’m sitting at a bar talking to a great bartender; it’s my favourite place in the world to be. My leadership style is very much being a cheerleader. If I see any bartender doing a great job, I can’t help but try and put them on a pedestal and share with the world how great they are. I feel very connected to the hospitality industry and I feel a responsibility to them as a result of that. When I was in Canada, I created and directed the Bartender’s Benevolent Fund, which played a crucial role in providing financial assistance to hospitality workers during COVID. Some 80 per cent of bartenders’ income in Canada is in tips. If you couldn’t work, you didn’t earn money – which meant the Fund went into overdrive during the closures in the pandemic. I stepped away from direct involvement when I moved to England, but it was an organisation that will always be very close to my heart.

What challenges do you face in your role?

There’s a lot of competition in the gin market from the big brands to the smaller nimbler ones. My challenge is making sure that our messaging gets heard. The quality of our product is fantastic. If you look at the recipes of many new gins, most are almost identical to Beefeater, while we led the way for what we now call London Dry Gin. We need to ensure that we continue to build out our strategy and get in front of the right people. Once they hear our story and taste our liquids, we win them over.

What is your most memorable experience as a brand ambassador?

I worked closely with Desmond Payne MBE, our Master Distiller Emeritus, on the launch of Beefeater 24 at my bar in Toronto in 2011, so that was certainly a memorable one! The global launch of Beefeater Crown Jewel in the White Tower at the Tower of London in 2022 has to be the highlight though – it was a spectacular and amazing event. I had just returned to the UK after 14 years in North America and it was an incredible homecoming. The guest list was full of the most accomplished and fascinating people in the world. A little while after the Crown Jewel event, I was able to build a follow-up trade-focused launch party for the same brand but for bartenders specifically. The legendary Alessandro Palazzi from Dukes Bar agreed to their first ever pop-up at Lyaness, and Mr Lyan himself and Desmond joined too; it was a sell-out and we had to expand capacity. Personally, it is the best event I have ever done.

I always liked the idea of throwing events to bring people together to celebrate who they are.

What’s your top bartender life hack?

Primarily, exercise! It’s often overlooked by bartenders who tend to have this list of important things to do before they get back to work – shopping, cleaning, catching up on sleep or seeing friends. But exercise is the most important thing that people can do to set themselves up for that next shift again. It clears your mind, detoxes your body and freshens you up. For me, it was always going for a run. When socialising, the no–low ABV options are so sophisticated now that moderating by substituting with these so you can still catch up with your network but avoid that burnout is a new but really great option.

What is your favourite cocktail?

A martini – served extra dry with a twist. You can’t help but feel special when you drink a martini. More now than ever, people want to feel a little bit special and a martini gives me that fancy feeling. Making a martini can scare some people but it couldn’t be super to build. It needs to be very cold; make sure everything is cold – the glass, the gin and the vermouth, and have plenty of ice. The ratio of how much gin to vermouth is important. I like mine to be 10 to one in favour of gin, but five to one is a bit friendlier for many. And finish with a good garnish using quality lemons and quality olives, not just taken out of a jar. Enjoy!