Accelerate top-line growth
Report of the Executive Board
Chief Executive's Statement
continued
Improving sales revenue and volume growth
is the life-blood of any branded consumer
business. Creating strong consumer appeal and
building strong brand propositions and imagery
are central to success and this year we have
begun to see the rewards across much of our
brand portfolio.
The jewel in the crown of our portfolio is
Heineken®. Keeping the brand healthy and
growing requires continuous commitment
to and focus on innovation and impactful
consumer advertising.
In 2006, the consumer continued to be at the
heart of our innovation agenda. The success
of Heineken Premium Light in the USA
demonstrates that when we know the consumer
well we can build a strong, winning proposition.
It also shows us what is possible when we apply
the considerable resources of the organisation
and its people to making innovation a success.
And this is not the only example. DraughtKeg®,
the one-way BeerTender® and Xtreme Draught®
all tell the same story. And it is a story that we will
re-apply as we roll out new programmes in 2007
such as Heineken® ExtraCold.
The continued implementation of our portfolio
reviews allowed us to improve our pricing,
resource allocation and consumer focus. It is
this greater understanding of the consumer
and brand landscape that has helped to drive
our top-line performance in markets as diverse
as Russia, Hungary, the USA and Nigeria.
However, despite top-line growth in Western
Europe, there remain markets such as France,
Italy and the Netherlands where our businesses
and the beer market face challenges that we
will continue to address.
Innovative products and packaging
For a premium brand like Heineken,
development and innovation are
key in order to stay competitive.
Well-known examples of innovative
packaging are our BeerSystems
like the David, BeerTender and
DraughtKeg. In the context of
product development, a successful
innovation is the introduction of
Heineken Premium Light in the USA.
