Giles approached In the Middle with an opportunity to bring to life Marston’s Brand Values. This creates real impact at in the middle of the business — transforming Marston’s brand values into something employees could genuinely feel and live everyday.
The Challenge With more than 10,000 employees across pubs and support teams, Marston’s PLC needed a way to bring their company values to life across the organisation.
Like many large businesses, the values existed — but they risked becoming words on a page rather than behaviours people lived every day. The goal was simple but ambitious: transform the values into something employees could connect with, remember, and act on.
The Insight Marston’s values already captured the spirit of the business — welcoming communities, ambitious teams, and a commitment to everyday excellence. But to embed them across thousands of employees, the communication needed to be:
Visually engaging
Simple to understand
Consistent across channels
Memorable enough to influence behaviour
The challenge wasn’t defining the values. It was making them real for the people who bring Marston’s pubs to life every day.
Marston’s, ARE, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, A PEOPLE BUSINESS. People are integral the the business. The vision is for Marston’s to be The UK’S leading local pub company through shared good times.
The Approach
Working closely with the Marston’s internal team, In The Middle created a set of creative assets designed to turn the values into a compelling internal campaign.
The focus was on making the values clear, relatable and highly visual, helping teams understand not just what the values are — but what they look like in action.
Key elements included:
Bold visual storytelling that captured the personality of the brand
Clear messaging designed for fast understanding across busy teams
Creative assets built for use across internal communication channels
A consistent visual language employees could instantly recognise
The aim was to create something that did more than communicate values — it embedded them.
Passionately Local
Marston’s are sociable, inclusive and authentically local, embedded at the heart of the communities they serve. They care and actively look for new ways to support and engage local communities. Enhance the positive impact they have on each other.
Always Ambitious
Marston’s are results-driven, entrepreneurial and adaptable. Committed to continuously learning and improving. Working at pace, embracing innovation and fresh approaches that delight guests, develop their people and drive the performance of the business.
Win Together
Marston’s are a united team focused on performance and exceeding expectations through collaboration, inclusion and teamwork. Committed to what they say they will do and always deliver, trusting and supporting each other to achieve our goals and celebrate the successes together.
Everyday Excellence
Disciplined and setting high standards which they all work hard to achieve every day. Responsible and committed to health and safety, while continually seeking out more productive, efficient and sustainable ways to operate the businesss.
Moments that Matter
Marston’s pride themselves on the quality of service and the support we provide to the guests and each other. Marston’s are welcoming, attentive and passionate, creating amazing experiences that leave a lasting impression to enhance their reputation.
The Result
The campaign helped Marston’s transform their brand values from internal messaging into a shared cultural framework for employees across the business. Teams were able to clearly understand the behaviours behind the values, helping strengthen alignment across pubs, support teams and leadership.
Building a culture where people feel proud of the role they play in creating great guest experiences.
Marston’s values are the pieces that bring the business together, guiding how people work, support each other and create great experiences for customers.
Though Marston’s has evolved over the past year, with a new management team, new performance-focused strategy and renewed focus as a pure-play hospitality business, one thing hasn’t changed….
WE ARE, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, A PEOPLE BUSINESS.
Giles Robinson, Director of Corporate Affairs – Marston’s PLC
When brand values are communicated creatively and consistently, they become more than statements — they shape culture. That’s exactly what this campaign achieved for Marston’s.
Want your internal communications to do more than inform — and actually change behaviour? Let’s create something that makes your culture impossible to ignore.
