2003 in Retrospect
the European rugby tournament for club
teams and the launch campaign for the
new international can.
As a result of the high priority which
Heineken gives to devising new ways of
reaching the consumer, the internet and
other new (mobile) media, such as SMS,
MMS and, in Japan, the very popular
i-mode, are playing an increasingly im
portant role.
Our model of separate but complemen
tary communication media was further
refined, enabling us to tailor our market
ing communication more closely to the
stage of development of the Heineken
brand in each particular market and to the
local culture. It also enables our operating
companies to prioritise their investments
in advertising, sponsorship, promotions
and packaging programmes.
As global competition for brand attention
becomes ever more intense, centrally
developed international campaigns are
increasingly being used to create
persuasive advertising with a strong
impact. Heineken is making greater use
of prominent international personalities
in its advertising. In 2003, for example,
a TV campaign featuring Jennifer Aniston,
star of the US series Friends, was run in
thirteen countries spread over several
continents. The international campaigns
supplement local activities by operating
companies to support Heineken's position
as a leading international premium brand.
Music sponsorship
Heineken's sponsorship activities are also
being more precisely attuned to the stage
of the brand's development in each mark
et and to the local culture. The number
of markets in which Heineken is involved
in international music sponsorship was
expanded rapidly in 2003.
The www.HeinekenMusic.com music
platform plays a key role in coordinating
and integrating these activities. Since our
consumers in practically every market are
keen music fans, music is an ideal vehicle
for communicating the Heineken brand's
core values. This is confirmed by regular
brand image surveys within the target
group.
Thirst, the worldwide series of dance
events was expanded in 2003 to cover
40 markets. Since they started in 2002,
Thirst events have been held in 110 clubs
and other venues, featuring top DJs such
as Paul Oakenfold and Daniele Davoli.
Over 2,300 aspiring DJs have taken part
in the local Thirst DJ competitions so far.
An appearance byTiësto, voted the
world's best DJ for the second year run
ning, contributed to the Thirst success
story in 2003. Heineken also continued
to sponsor various local music festivals
in Europe, the Asia/Pacific region, the US
and Latin America.
Other sponsorship
Heineken sponsored the Hollywood
movie The Matrix Reloaded, one of the
major international film events of 2003.
Film sponsorship supports the Heineken
brand's international stature.
The most important sporting event
sponsored by Heineken in 2003 was
undoubtedly the finals of the Rugby World
Cup in Australia, which attracted two
million foreign visitors. The final between
Australia and England was watched by
14 million TV viewers in the UK alone.
As in previous years, Heineken also spon
sored the Heineken Rugby Cup, the annual
tournament for European clubs.
Heineken continued to sponsor many
other sporting events, including the
Australian Open and US Open tennis
tournaments and various regional and
local golf and sailing events.
Amstel
Amstel brand sales increased from
10.8 million hectolitres to 11.0 million
hectolitres, despite the persistent weak
ness of the mainstream segment in
Europe. Africa and Spain accounted for
most of the improvement.
The Amstel brand profited greatly from
the economic growth in a number of
emerging markets, including South Africa,
Cameroon and Kazakhstan. Amstel is
available in over go countries and is the
third largest beer brand in Europe. Sales
on the European market remained stable.
Amstel performed extremely well in Spain,
one of the largest markets in Europe, but
the mainstream beer segment of the other
major European markets was depressed
and sales of Amstel were down slightly.
The current strategy for Amstel is being
evaluated in the light of these trends on
the large European markets, and decisions
will be taken in 2004 on what changes are
necessary to foster the growth of the
Amstel brand.
HEINEKEN N.V. ANNUAL REPORT 2003
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