Bringing the wild experience of The Cocktail Club to life through video, front-end design, and back-end web development.
How do you bring the authentic flavour of a high-energy venue to a website? How do you encapsulate the ethos, performance, and feel of an incredible night out in 2D?
The Cocktail Club (TCC) is one of London’s last standing, wild and extraverted venues. From their nostalgic swinging bar lamps to theatrical ice-throwing bartenders, people leave TCC with a story to tell. But online, the presence didn’t reflect the brand. TCC approached Vouch Global looking for a way to bring the vitality of their venues into the digital sphere. Not just with a new website, but a new digital aesthetic, and a brand video that truly conveyed everything TCC has to offer.
How to translate true brand identity into the digital space
For TCC, the digital transformation was part of a wider move to bring customers back to the bar following a year of lockdown. There would be a small rebranding – moving away from London Cocktail Club, to The Cocktail Club, announcing the venue as the go-to for cocktail lovers everywhere. And that was an important distinction to make in the digital transformation. While never insular, TCC was now cosmopolitan – with new venues planned for opening across the UK – and everyone was invited to the party. This needed to be managed with clarity and consistency throughout.
Vouch Global worked with TCC to clarify its brand identity, and seamlessly carry that identity online. All the while focusing on the experiential elements of the brand. At the same time, working to enhance brand and site performance.
A strategy to unite on and offline experiences
With vibrancy and vitality being key differentiators of TTC, it was paramount to bring that dynamism to the website. Vouch Global embarked on a strategy that would not only mirror the nature of the venues but also drive an increase in bookings.
Video was used to amplify the effervescence of the homepage, working to instantly convey the vibe of the venue(s) and draw visitors in. But also added extra value by providing new content for TCC’s paid social ads. Animated videos were peppered throughout the site, increasing user engagement.
Using tech innovations – the Cocktail Creator App to not just draw customers in with freebies, but engage them with personalised content – and integrating previously external booking technology, such as Design My Night, and CRM / eCommerce technology Airship, and Toggle into the new site design, Vouch Global worked to enhance the user experience throughout the website. Removing friction from booking, and helping to reduce customer churn.
And the design was reinforced by strong SEO foundations. With CSS coding behind each keyword-driven heading. Ensuring that the site wasn’t just on-brand and intuitive, but Google and every other search engine knew exactly what the site was about.
Success measured by outcomes
The success of any redesign project can only be measured by the reaction of the public. And for TCC, the results speak volumes. The site experienced a 45% increase in unique visitors, taking the total number of monthly visitors to 80,000, and online booking covers rose by 40%. The average site dwell time increased by 52 seconds, which equates to a 100% improvement, and the website is now being found for 60% more search terms than it was appearing for before. While the site bounce rate has fallen by 30%.
The Cocktail Club is known for its sense of theatre, with its swinging lamps and joie de vivre. It’s the venue for the carefree and confident. For the party starter, and those who never want the party to end. TCC needed Vouch Global to carry that character into the digital forum. Bringing the real-life experience online. With video, animation, and enhanced user experience, the TCC website is now the place where parties really start.
Mark Joseph is the founder of Vouch Global. After a successful 15-year career within other media agencies, including Steak and PHD, working with some of the world’s largest brands, startups and SME’s, Mark launched Vouch Global in 2018. A creative performance agency dedicated to helping clients gain real influence through insight and strategy-driven content creation.
Mark is a Media Week & Daily Mail 30 Under 30. He has also sat on the Internet Advertising Bureau council, advising both brands and agencies on new regulation within the UK advertising industry.