There are a number of ways that the Grogg
Shop have advertised since beginning trading. The most common methods being press advertisements, price
lists / order forms, posters, leaflets, websites and most recently
on social media pages which are also discussed in this article.
Advertisements
There were a number of advertisements placed in
Rugby World Magazine during the 1970s and in match programmes. These early
adverts were in the form of pencil sketches which were later replaced by photos
of the Groggs. These advertisements were intended to target specific customers,
promoting special offers, some emphasised that fact fact that some Groggs could
even be customised! (Photos Courtesy of Peter Davies)
Advertisement from a 19702 WRU Rugby Programme - Courtesy of 1120 Marketing
Price lists / order forms
The use of price lists and order forms in
publications were an easy way for people to order their Groggs. However, today
there is a significant growth in the number of people placing their orders
online or via email, but the shop is still a mecca for collectors to visit the
shop itself and a treat as the Hughes family are always so welcoming and
knowledgeable. (Photos Courtesy of Jonathan Fry)
The John Hughes Select XV v The Rest - Official team biographer Gren
(Photographs Courtesy of Darren Rees)
John Hughes Ceramics Price List (Photographs
by Jonathan Fry)
Rugby World Cup 1991 – ITV Guide (Photograph by Darren Priday)
Recent Price List (Photographs by Rob Van Der Steen)
Posters / leaflets
There are a number of examples shown of the
different posters and leaflets that have been collected from the Grogg Shop.
The colourful presentation of groggs and merchandise shows the product range
available at a particular time.
Grogg Posters / Leaflets (Photographs by Jonathan Fry, Carl Lewis and Rob Van Der Steen)
Website
/ Social Media
Today, the Grogg Shop primarily use their
website and social media to communicate with their collectors. A great feature
on their website is the list of Ltd Editions reaching their limit in order to
ensure that avid collectors are aware of low availability groggs. On the
website you will also find useful pages such as the news section, Grogg
archive, work in progress and a Grogg blog from Richard. The social media pages
are used very effectively to communicate when new Groggs are launched and to
monitor the demand for future Groggs, making sure the interests of collectors
are catered for. This must make it almost impossible for the release of a Grogg
to fail as the system cleverly uses the principle of supply and demand to keep
everyone happy.
