General review Heineken, Amstel and specialties Our most important brand, Heineken, once more achieved excellent growth in 1999. In the year under review it also expanded its position as the leading international beer brand, backed up by increased marketing activities and an expansion of distribution. Besides advertising, sponsorship of international tennis tournaments and local music events occupies an increasingly important place within our successful communications policy. The Heineken brand was to be seen at the US Open tennis championships, the Davis Cup, the Australian Open and the Heineken Shanghai Open. Thanks in part to the quality of the players these events attracted large TV audiences worldwide. As of 1999, Heineken is the main sponsor of the European Rugby Cup Competition known as the Heineken Cup. The growth in sales of Heineken beer exceeded that of the world beer market considerably. Sales increased by 5.0 from 19.4 million hectolitres to 20.4 million hectolitres. In particular, Heineken achieved higher beer sales in the United States, France, Spain, Italy, China, Thailand and Argentina. Working closely together, the central and local marketing organizations developed innovative activities that attracted much attention in many areas involving the Heineken brand. These activities make Heineken beer more acces sible and reinforce consumer brand preference. The sale of Heineken beer in new cans, the shaped cans, was further expanded internationally. The Geographical breakdown of Group volume in thousands of hectolitres 1999 1998 change Europe 45,368 38,192 18.8% Western Hemisphere 6,568 19,309 7.7% Africa 8,436 7,662 9.7% Asia Pacific 7,377 8,693 19.0% Croup volume 67,749 79,149 16.4% Affiliated companies 23,170 24,879 -6.9% Total beer volume 90,919 83,059 9.5% keg-shaped cans in particular and the millennium can were very popular with consumers. The intro duction of new packaging units made Heineken attractive for a larger number of drinking occasions. In addition, the improved graphic design of labels and outer packagings that have been introduced supported the brand's modern image. The use of new media allows us to contact our consumers more directly, interactively and throughout the world. Therefore, Heineken developed numerous activities using the Internet and other new media. The Heineken web site (www.heineken.com) has been expanded and continues to be a much visited Internet site. Totally new was BarTrek, in which maps of international cities can be downloaded from our web site using a hand computer. These maps show the Heineken bars. The shortest route to the bar of a person's choice can be found via satellite. Heineken's millennium advertising campaign, which was to be seen in 30 different countries, also scored a big success. The campaign was supported locally and via the Internet. Sales of Amstel rose once again in the declining mainstream segment. In 1999, sales of Amstel increased from 7.6 million hectolitres to 7.9 million hectolitres, an increase of4.6%. Sales rose mainly in the Netherlands, South Africa, Cameroon, France and Greece. Exports of Amstel Light to the United States also increased once again. The Amstel brand is also growing as a result of the introduction of new, relevant beers under the Amstel brand name and as a result of entering new markets. Curasao saw the successful launch of Amstel Bright, an easy-to-drink light beer sold in a flint bottle. Following the success in the Dutch market, a five-litre can with integral tap was also introduced in Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Amstel is involved in the sponsorship of sporting and other events, for which there is interest in broad sections of the population and which support the desired brand image. Its role as main sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, a football 1 6

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 1999 | | pagina 20