Buckler launch tackled
on a grand scale
Four hundred
patients every day
Heineken backs Aussie-Kiwi yacht race
Much energy put into build-up of Greek non alcohol market
Buckler's introduction in Greece is being tackled in a big way:
with many TV spots, radio commercials, advertisements in
magazines and outdoor advertising. 'We're investing a lot in
this launch, as the non alcohol beer segment has to be built up
from scratch in Greece', explains group product manager
Minas Mavricakis.
Fast moving pictures
Enthusiastic
Hard work at new Bralima clinic
in Kinshasa
'Medical care is a very important part of the employment
conditions package in countries like Zaïre. Health care is
provided not only for the employees but also for their
families. Our brewery in Kinshasa employs 1,700 people,
but the number of people entitled to visit the clinic is
16,000. Every day about 400 people are treated, including
a lot of children'. That's how company doctor H. Rijck-
borst describes the new Bralima clinic recently opened in
Kinshasa.
Children
Sponsoring
HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NR. 26
PAGE 6
The Buckler launch included pre
sentations to the wholesale trade,
like here in Athens. Wholesalers
were highly enthusiastic.
M. Tanes, general manager of Athe
nian Brewery, speaking at the pre
sentation of Buckler to the whole
sale trade.
The launch campaign covers a
two month period. By the time this
issue of Heineken International
Magazine rolls off the presses the
campaign will just about be
finished. The commercial specially
produced for the introduction will
then have been aired 30 times on
state television and 45 times on the
commercial stations.
Athenian Brewery's marketing
specialists deliberately decided not
to use the existing Buckler com
mercial for the introduction. 'We
first had to tell the consumers that
organised here in that field.' He
places Buckler much more in the
context of golf. The noble game of
golf has a high-class image in
Greece as well. And forms an exact
tie-in with the Buckler concept.
The Buckler introduction got off
to a good start in March this year
with a presentation to representa
tives and wholesalers. The whole
salers were highly enthusiastic
about the new product. That enthu
siasm had still not cooled by the
actual launch date, and so Minas
Mavricakis was extremely pleased
with the very favourable sales fig
ures achieved for Buckler after only
its first week on the market.
In Greece Buckler is obtainable
in hotels, restaurants and bars in
towns with at least 50,000 inhabi
tants. Besides the 25 cl one way
bottle, either singly or as a six-pack,
cans of Buckler are also on sale.
Bottled Buckler is brewed in the
brewery near Thessaloniki. Buckler
in cans is brewed in Thessaloniki
and filled in Patras.
The Heineken Board of Di
rectors and the management of
Ibecor jointly took the initiative
to have a new clinic built on the
site of the brewery in Kinshasa.
This was after a survey had
shown that health care in Zaïre,
Rwanda, Burundi and Congo
Brazzaville was in a poor state.
The best solution for Kinshasa
was to build a new clinic, but in
other locations health care facili
ties were improved in other
ways, for instance by modernis
ing existing clinics. Dr H. Ri-
jckborst was closely involved in
the building plans and in the in
auguration of the clinic.
'Both financially and in terms
of attention we invested a great
deal in upgrading the quality of
the medical facilities. We re
cruited new personnel and did
much in the way of training and
education. In 1987 we sent a
Belgian doctor out to Kinshasa
to co-ordinate the improvement
of health care in the various
countries', explains Dr Rijck-
borst.
The new clinic is fitted out in
a sober but functional fashion,
with a six-bed daily treatment
room. Staff includes 21 nurses
and two doctors, one of whom is
specialised in children's dis
eases. Dr Rijckborst: 'Many chil
dren are brought in for treat
ment each day. Malaria is the
most common diagnosis and it's
a serious disease. Every year
more than one million children
in Africa die of malaria. Our
doctors also have to handle a lot
of respiratory and skin infec
tions. If serious diseases are
identified, the patient is referred
through to a specialist or a hospi
tal. The costs of that treatment
are also paid for by the brewery.'
non alcohol beer exists and then
follow that straight away by telling
them that Buckler is their best
choice. The international commer
cial wasn't suitable for putting that
message across', says Mavricakis.
Local advertising activities for
Buckler will stop in the summer
months, but the international cam
paign will be started up in Septem
ber.
The launch commercial for
Greece is very different from the
'real' Buckler commercial. Atten
tion is focused purely on the prod
uct in a spot built around fast mov
ing pictures with plenty of action.
But for the introductory commer
cial the producers have used the
same theme music that features in
the international campaign. So,
from September onwards, when
Greek consumers get to see the in
ternational commercial, they
should identify the product from
the already familiar music.
In the area of Buckler sponsoring
Greece is out of step with the rest of
Europe. Minas Mavicakis doesn't
feel that the Buckler cycle racing
team would be a good form of
sponsoring for Greece. 'Cycle rac
ing is not a popular sport in Greece.
And there's nothing really
The ANZ Challenge, a series of sailing races for the 12-metre yacht class,
was sponsored by Heineken Australia for the first time this year. The
contest, fought out between Australia and New Zealand, was held in
Sydney Harbour. The New Zealanders were the winners.
The Heineken logo was displayed on the yachts of both teams. With
some 6 hours of TV broadcasting time being devoted to the event,
Heineken Australia at least has some consolation for the fact that the
Aussie team came second: the Heineken brand got plenty of media
coverage.
