Legal eagles exchange experiences page: For quite some time now there have been signs of a wind of change within Heineken Nederland. For many years the Heineken and Amstel brands ruled the roost in Holland. Two years ago that had already started to change a little with the introduction of Amstel 1870, followed not long after by a relaunch of Amstel Gold and the market debuts of Amstel Light and Buckler. But Heineken thought it was still not enough; last month Amstel 1870 was re-introduced, this time under the name 1870 van AmsteFAnd a brand-new product was also put on the market: Dry 100, Mild Beer. It's plain to see: the Dutch beer market is changing and Heineken Neder land has to keep ahead of these changes if it is to maintain its strong position on the Dutch market. The newcomers in the range were the main talking points in the interview that Heineken International Magazine had with brand manager Paul Nitschmann. Expectations Recognisable Why was the name changed? Hundred times Dry 100 I HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NR. 22 Heineken Nederland launches Dry and repositions 1870 Amstel 1870 is meanwhile called 1870 van Amstel. Two years after its introduction the product has been renamed. This is only one of the changes and it forms part of a bigger operation, known as a 're positioning'. Why make a drastic change in a product's positioning after as little as two years? In the early 'eighties prepara tions were started for the introduc tion of Amstel 1870. The new prod uct had to prov ide a response to the consumer's growing demand for speciality beer types. The reason why Heineken Nederland waited so long with the introduction was entirely due to the packaging. Amstel 1870 had to become a spe cial beer, and this influenced the choice of pack. "We were busy developing a new returnable bottle and we deliberately waited until that new bottle was available. You don't want to present the consumer with a new product like Amstel 1870 in an old, scuffed bottle", explains Nitschmann. The next Twenty Heineken lawyers and company secretaries got together in Amsterdam a few months ago for one of their two-yearly meet ings to exchange experiences and discuss new developments. Those attending represented breweries in Burundi, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium (Heineken Import Bel gium), Singapore, Zaïre and the Netherlands. Participants from Italy, Greece and Nigeria unfortu nately had to withdraw at the last moment. During the two-day meeting the participants were served up a var ied menu of talks, some of a legal nature, some on more general top ics with legal implications. Sub jects included: the latest develop ments in EC legislation and in trademark law, and Heineken's pol icy in the Netherlands with regard to alcohol consumption. wait was for a suitable display crate which would match the sought- after image of the Amstel 1870 product. But in those years after 1980 the beer market became ever more tur bulent. Increasing numbers of Bel gian and German beer brands were finding their way to Dutch consum ers. "When we introduced Amstel 1870 two years ago, we stuck to the concept that we'd devised in the early 'eighties. With hindsight you can say that we were 'overselling': we wanted to put too many selling points into the product. We weren't able to live up to the expectations we'd aroused for the product in comparison with other, often strong beers." In communicating to the con sumer there has always been a strong emphasis on putting across the extra full-bodied flavour of Amstel 1870 ("the challenge to the real beer drinker"). And that while the emergence of all sorts of beer specialities was bringing the con sumer into contact with beers which, compared to lager and Amstel 1870, had a much more dis tinct taste difference and were often more full-bodied as well. In the meantime a premium segment had developed within the Dutch beer market, and this provided a much better niche for the Amstel 1870 concept. Experts expect that this segment is likely to show con siderable growth yet. So it was a logical move to reposition Amstel 1870 to give it a firm place in this growth segment. The product's bitterness and aroma were slightly modified. Blind tast ing tests have now shown that the new product1870 van Amstel' has a very high score for flavour. "1870 is outstandingly a pre mium product. Amstel does not have that premium position in the Netherlands. By coupling 1870 direct to the Amstel main brand name, your risk is that the consum er may confuse it with Amstel pilsener lager. That's why we changed the name: to give the prod uct a bigger chance to build up its own identity. The product is called 1870, and it's 'from' Amstel", states Nitschmann. Within a year 1870 should have built up a solid position in the pre mium segment. Nitschmann feels that this should be possible, espe cially as an intensive campaign is being held in these last few months of 1989. "Up to the end of the year we'll be on TV one hundred times - that's almost every day - with a commercial that's highly original for the Netherlands." In other ways, too, the premium character of 1870 is being heavily promoted. "We're looking for out lets with a premium-type image which are willing to sell 1870 only. In other words: just 1870, and no other lager brand. 1870 will be sold from a dispenser tap specially designed for this brand. The café owner can then receive free glassware, drip catchers and beer mats. He won't have an ordinary illuminated sign outside his prem ises, but an exclusive display con sisting of an 1870 enamel sign framed in wrought iron. That pub- sign will be illuminated by two spotlights. Clearly emphasising the premium status of 1870." The decision to introduce Dry 100 Mild Beer is based on another trend in the beer market. Many beer drinkers are showing an increasing interest for speciality and unusual beer types like Bel gian and German brews, but also for Dutch speciality beers. Research has revealed that people in the 'light users' category often refuse a glass of beer because they think it tastes too bitter. "There's not much on offer in the Nether lands in the way of lighter, smoothly drinkable beers. The suc cess of Dry Beer in Japan set our minds working and we looked into the possibilities for Dry on the Dutch market. We found that con sumers could 'see something' in the product". Within a very short space of time the new product was brought to the commercial stage. At the end of April the marketing department was given the go-ahead and Dry 100 was launched on 1st Sep tember. Dry Beer can be described as a mild beer with a non-cloying after taste. The taste of the beer does not linger long because all sugars have been fully fermented during the brewing process. Nor is Dry as bit ter as pilsener lagers because it contains hop varieties which give the beer more aroma but less bitter ness. Lawyers and company secretaries meet in ZoeterwoudeBack row, left to right: J. Scroope (Ireland), F.JAlonso Munumer (Spain), C. van den Bulcke (Belgium), E.C. Le Poole (corporate), Soh Heng Mei (Singa pore), H.H.F. Jansen, M.C.H. Soeterbroek, J.M.Th, de Jonge, C. van Es, L.P. Geenen (all from the Netherlands), M.C. Lefebre (France), L.P. Willing (corporate), P. Zanga Z'Ompela (Zaire) and L. Nduwayo (Burundi). Foreground, left to right: A. Chailloux, R. Ie Roux (bothfrom France), G. van Kampen, R.M. Mieremet (both from the Netherlands) and H.P Helleman (corporate). (B. Gutlé from France is missing from this photo).

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Heineken International Magazine | 1989 | | pagina 8