I
50 Years
of Commitment
Made Heineken
America's
#1 Imported Beer.
"thanks for a
job well done.
PUBLISHED BY VAN MUNCHING CO., INC.
Vol. XXXIV, No. 1
A Very Special 50th Anniversary Issue
Spring, 1983
1933 was a rough year for any commit
ment... a bank holiday had been de
clared by President Roosevelt, the New
Deal was passed by Congress to fight the
great depression and the U.S. dropped
the gold standard. There was one happy
event—prohibition was repealed.
Yet a very big commitment was made
on December 19th of that year, the day
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Van Munching, Sr.,
their daughter, Anne, and son, Leo, Jr.
arrived in Hoboken on the liner Staten
dam. Mr. Van Munching was committed
to import and distribute Heineken beer
in the U.S.
It was a discouraging day, a rainy
Tuesday. The Times reported that the
RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corpora-
S°nmp
tion) wanted a billion more dollars to bail
out closed banks, a subway fare raise
loomed, a fire in Penn Station held up all
trains. But Mr. Van Munching was un
daunted. From the very first day he de
voted his life to making Heineken beer a
success.
Today, that commitment has made
Heineken a fantastic success.
The first distributor persuaded to give
Heineken a try was James J. Clark in Jer
sey City. The distribution was small, to a
few restaurants and bars in the area. Re
sults were promising and distribution
(continued on page 6)
The VMCO Commitment Continues with $18,000,000
in 1983 Heineken and Amstel marketing support.
sion, national magazines, spot radio,
trade advertising, on-premise and off-
premise P.O.S. and a wide variety of spe
cial promotion programs and
sponsorship of events. All will continue
(continued on page 6)
Major increases for Heineken and Am
stel Light marketing support during 1983
have been announced by Leo Van
Munching, Jr.VMCO President.
The marketing support mix for Heine
ken will include network and local televi-
Part of VMCO's #1 Marketing Team at the recent Eastern Region Advertising meeting
held in New York City. From left to right: Dan Neglia, Eastern Division Manager; John
McAna, V.P. National Sales Manager; George Kahl, N.Y. Metro Sales Manager; Ken
Blair, Ass't National Sales Manager; Bob Kenney, New England Division Manager and
Fred Otto, Mid Atlantic Division Manager.
"Fifty years ago, my father, Leo Van
Munching, Sr., began importing and dis
tributing Heineken Holland Beer in the
United States. Although Heineken had
long been Holland's leading beer, it took
a great deal of dedicated work to spread
the word about Heineken quality
throughout America. The original Van
Munching staff labored long and hard to
make Heineken a national favorite in the
United States.
"In 1983, as we celebrate our 50th
Anniversary, Heineken continues to be
Leo Van Munching, Jr.
VMCO President
the best selling imported beer in Amer
ica.
"Heineken's continued success is a
tribute not only to its quality, but a tribute
as well to the commitment of all the peo
ple who have helped promote and dis
tribute it over the years. To all of you I
express my thanks for a job well done.
"And now, we are entering a new
Heineken era and we are faced with new
challenges—increased competition in
the import category and uncertain eco
nomic conditions. Our answer to these
challenges is to continue our growing
commitment to provide you with the fin
est in marketing support—not just to
keep our lead, but to build it as well.
"As we celebrate together our 50-year
milestone, let us all renew our commit
ment to keep Heineken #1 in 1983 and
in the years to come."
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