Marketing of Amstel Light a c
Light segment only developed in a few countries
AMSTft 'MÊL
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Amstel Light was basically the
brainchild of the Heineken
importer for the United
States, Leo van Munching Jr. He was
keeping a close watch on the local
light beers that had been introduced
in the mid-1970s. At the end of the
'seventies he reached his conclusion:
there was room on the American
market for a new imported light beer.
ing those years Amstel Light has
climbed to number 7 position in the
rankings of imported beers in
general and to number 1 in the seg
ment for imported light beers.
Why is the light segment so well
developed in the United States?
Research shows that light beer
enjoys widespread acceptance in the
American market owing to a number
In various countries such as the United States and
parts of the Caribbean it is a great success. But the
news from a country like the Netherlands is less
favourable. A light beer is not the simplest product
to introduce.
In consultation with the
Heineken Board of Directors it was
decided to develop a light beer. It
was given the name Amstel Light.
The apparently obvious link with the
Heineken brand was deliberately
avoided. Association with a product
having a lower alcohol content was
not considered a wise move.
Imported
In 1981 Van Munching Co.
introduced Amstel Light on the
American market, thus creating a
new segment straight away: Amstel
Light was in fact the first imported
light beer. In those first years the
sales results were no cause for jubi
lation; Amstel Light had still not
built up enough brand awareness
and its distribution still needed
improvement.
A targeted advertising campaign
and the frequent use of POS material
helped to generate brand awareness
over the years, whilst the distribu
tion was also improved.
Market leader
The light beer segment in the
United States has more than doubled
over the past ten years, from more
than 12% in 1980 to 27% in 1990. Dur-
of aspects: taste, the low number of
calories and the alcohol content.
Light beer fits in with the efforts
being made by a big group of U.S.
consumers to lead healthier lives,
reduce their calorie intake and cut
down on the amount of alcohol they
drink.
Research has shown that the rea
son why increasingly more consu
mers are choosing Amstel Light has
everything to do with its better fla
vour and higher quality compared to
the local light beers. So, the fact that
the beer is a light product is not the
only factor that counts. The fact that
Amstel Light is imported also seems
to increase its appeal to the con
sumer because American consumers
perceive 'imported' as being equival
ent to 'better flavour'.
Caribbean
The success of Amstel Light in
the United States certainly has an
influence on this product's sales per
formance in the Caribbean region.
This is particularly true for the
islands which are influenced by
American culture, such as the Cay
man Islands, Bermuda and the U.S.
Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico, which
likewise falls within the American
THE WORLD OF H F, I N E K F N
