David Forde. Promotion girls in the
off-licence outlets successfully sold
the new product to potential consum
ers, thanks to a campaign in which
consumers were given a free
Murphy's glass when purchasing
eight cans. This glass was developed
specially for use with the Draughtflow
can, since glasses of this size were
previously unknown in Ireland.
The introduction in the off-licence
outlets turned out to be a tremendous
success. Particularly in the pre-
Christmas period, when off-licence
beer sales reach their traditional
peak, Murphy's in the Draughtflow
can sold excellently.
Alternative
But Murphy's Brewery is not setting
its sights solely on the off-licence
market. The Draughtflow can is also
available in the pubs. David Forde:
"There are pubs in which Murphy's
Irish Stout is not available on draught
because the turnover rate is still not
high enough. With the introduction of
the Draughtflow can we are able to
offer the stout drinker a fully-fledged
alternative. Ultimately, the Draught-
flow can should allow us to stimulate
the demand for Murphy's Irish Stout
to such a level that the installation of
a draught dispenser will be justified
in due course."
The Draughtflow can is seen by
Irish publicans as a threat to their
future. And yet a brewery like
Murphy's cannot afford to ignore the
market trends. Particularly the 18 to
35 year-olds consider the consump
tion of beer at home as a completely
acceptable alternative to a visit to
the pub. Besides, says Eamonn
O'Sullivan, the introduction of the
Draughtflow can has had a positive
effect on the brand image of Murphy's
Irish Stout: "The can has added a lot
of credibility to the brand in Ireland."
Letters
Every week piles of letters land on the
desks of Eamonn O'Sullivan and
Export Manager Bob Rennefick from
agents all over the world who would
like to include Murphy's Irish Stout in
their portfolio. According to
O'Sullivan, that interest is attributable
above all to the position that Murphy's
holds in the United Kingdom. "The
U.K. - and London in particular - is
visited by people from all over the
world, including agents. They then
get to know Murphy's Irish Stout and
see that the product is successful. For
our future export activities the suc
cess in the U.K. as well as in Ireland
is therefore of essential importance."
Murphy's Irish Stout is brewed
and distributed for the British market
by Whitbread, the brewery with
which Heineken has had a close
relationship for decades. Whitbread
has already been brewing and distri
buting Heineken lager for the British
market since the 1960s.
The introduction of Murphy's Irish
Stout took place in 1985 and Whit
bread has had the product in its range
since 1988. Thanks to Whitbread's
distributive strength and marketing
efforts, the product really developed
at a fast pace from the moment Whit
bread started handling Murphy's Irish
Stout. At the moment when the con
tract was signed with Whitbread, in
March 1988, Murphy's Irish Stout was
available in 2,000 outlets and had a
2% share of the stout market.
21
of Murphy's was tackled on a large
scale and Whitbread invested as
much as ten million pounds in the
product, on the installation of dis
pensers, in the training of bar staff to
make sure that the product was
served to the customer under opti
mum conditions, and on advertising
and promotional support.
During the four years that fol
lowed Whitbread further expanded
the distribution of Murphy's Irish
Stout and product advertising be
came increasingly more important.
Murphy's also built up a name for
itself in the field of sponsorships.
Players in a prestigious golf tourna
ment in the U.K. competed for the
Murphy's Cup. In August last year
even the English Open carried the
Training
Six months later Whitbread's plans
were put into effect. The distribution
Bob Kennefick is export director for Murphy's.
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
