Gin Glorious Gin

Title of Book:   Gin Glorious Gin

Subtitle:  How mother's ruin became the spirit of London

Author : Olivia Williams

Publisher  Headline Publishing Group

ISBN  978 1 4722 1534 5

Genre:            A history of London seen through the prism of the story of Gin

Style:  A fun and quirky read, telling the stories of the famous and unknown who shaped the city and the business of its signature drink. 

Contents page: Two pages - 25 Chapters

Index: No Index - so you may like to read it with pencil in hand if you wish to refer back for the many quotes , anecdotes and interesting selling parallels to today's selling. Good Bibliography and Picture Credits.

Flick through eye appeal:   Comfortable short chapters and illustrations. Easy to dip in and out of.

‘Time for a breather’ stops :   25  easy-to-read Chapters describing the back story of Gin.

Golden Nuggets:   Loads from over the 300 years of the business

Topic Summary:  As Olivia Williams closes her book " It (Gin) is 300 years of London life - distilled"

War Stories:  Genuine war stories relevant to their effect on Gin sales- where you could still get Gin in the wars.

Illustration:  Some photos , Maps, drawings of botanicals (copyright) and adverts for  famous brand we recognise today such as Gordon's and Pimms. Reproduction  of Hogarth Prints plus  Sectional diagrams of Pot , Coffey and Hybrid stills 

Quotes:  

“No Gin, No King” –the cries of a subversive mob in Newgate street arrested on the night before the Gin Act of 1736 for their subversive chanting.

The James Bond of the original books
 stipulated a " Gordon's
  for his Martinis and Negronis" 
unlike the  Bond of the films.

"Gin drinkers love the heritage of the product so none (no distillers) have dropped their historic symbols - whether Tanqueray and their pineapple, Gilbey's and their wyvern, Plymouth and the Mayflower or Bombay Sapphire and Queen Victoria"

"To daffy shops for luscious drops

Folks stalk in now so numerous,

And soak their clay with sweet, sweet gin,

And jest and joke so humorous"  ( Popular rhyme back in the day -'Daffy' was a nickname for Gin)

Short Review:  Every business needs to stay fresh to be competitive.

This may mean regularly refreshing your products or services, taking them to new markets or even coming up with an entirely new offer.

 

An example revival of today's Gin drinking
outside of London.
Display board for The Wheatsheaf
Farnham ,West Street

The  Ginnnaisance  or Renaissance of Gin in the UK is the word Olivia Williams to describe the growth of new distilleries particularly in London. Olivia Williams tells the story of Gin in London from the time of William of Orange up to the present day.

She traces the real world of Politics, Economics, Society and Fashion, Technology, Legal and Environment (PESTLE) which Sales and Marketing Professionals would recognise in today’s marketing models through her history of Gin and London .

We learn of the unintended marketing consequences of governments raising and lowering of taxes, issuing more or reducing the licences from past times.

Back in the early Victorian period the footfall of a gin shop would have put many current ' to go ' outlets to shame.

We learn how the bar tender of West End Cocktails of the early twentieth century have a thing or to teach today's coffee shop baristas in  promotion and pizazz.

We see the effects of lobby groups such as the Temperance Movement, Supplier Trade groups, Publicans and their effects on the market.

We learn of the challenges and opportunities of export marketing in the growth of popularity of Gin

We discover how store refurbishment and outlet makeovers can be traced back to their roots the Gin Palaces.

This book is a light and engaging read .There would be no shame to have it on your business bookshelf or saved in your e book. 

Gin Glorious Gin reminds us that in the world of selling, most strategies and tactics have been thought of before – the skill is to rethink them or reread them. 

Related links

PESTLE - grinding out the real world pests in marketing

Nespresso and 7 Ps of Marketing

Product in your marketing mix

Life's a soda now - Brand master Coco Cola