I^ong term
Simultaneous with the start of the
advertising campaign, POS material
was developed which links up closely
with the message conveyed by the
commercial. Posters and beer mats
with illustrations which tie in with the
thumbprint campaign can be found in
the on premise outlets.
In addition to POS material
Inchcape also intends to become
more active in the promotions area.
Inchcape has decided to adopt a dif
ferent approach to these promotions.
Out goes the Wheel of Fortune, in
which the winner was given a free
bottle of Heineken.
According to Mel Sherwin, such a
promotion for Heineken in Australia
has the wrong sort of effect. "A pro
motion like that gives the consumer
the impression that the product
apparently won't sell and so it's being
given away. We've also noticed that
the promotion only boosts sales
during the evening when it is held.
The following evening there will
again be a promotion by another
brewery and Heineken sales will drop
back to their former level. We are
therefore now looking much more to
build up a long term relationship with
the owner of the outlet. We are seek
ing promotions which run in a parti
cular outlet for a month, three
months or possibly even a year. This
means that Heineken is included in
the range and the consumer is given
the opportunity to really get to know
the product."
Graham Shonhan, state manager
in Brisbane, also uses bar promotions
of Heineken as "Beer of the Month" to
capture consumer attention. He is
THE WORLD
Sydney
Sydney is the Australian metropo
lis. The centre of this city of three
million inhabitants impressively
demonstrates its international char
acter: a business district with tall of
fice blocks towering to the sky. In
mid-1993 the whole of Sydney took to
the streets to celebrate a two-day
party: the Summer Olympics will be
held in and around Sydney in the
magic year 2000. For Australians this
was a tremendous fillip and their
pride is clear to see. Flags with the
words "Sydney 2000" are on display at
many points in the city.
In view of Sydney's international
allure it is not surprising that
Heineken has traditionally been most
strongly represented in the capital
city more than anywhere else. More
than half of all Heineken Beer sold in
Australia is destined for Sydney. In
State manager Rhod Webb
HEINEKEN
Metropolis
Rhod Webb does not have an easy
job in his state. "Sydney is a very com
plicated market for beer. It is very
competitive because everyone who
wants to start marketing a new beer
brand does that in Sydney. No won
der, as the city is the metropolis of
Australia and has a highly inter
national flavour."
At the end of the 'eighties brewer
ies from all over the world shipped
their beer to Sydney in an attempt to
gain a firm foothold in this enormous
country. Sydney was the place to be.
Rhod Webb recalls that at one point in
time more than eight hundred beer
brands were vying to capture a slice
of the market. In view of the negligi
ble share of imported brands in the
total beer market, only a very small
number of them succeeded.
Mel Sherwin, marketing and sales
manager at Inchcape head office in
Melbourne, is not pleased about the
many imported and local brands
which have been launched. Ice beers
in particular spoiled Heineken's plans
last year. The spectacular growth of
fully aware that this promotion pri
marily benefits the outlet, but sees
such a promotion as the right method
of communicating the Heineken
message, especially in the nightclubs,
the outlets frequented by the younger
consumer aged between 18 and 25.
These are the key outlets for
Heineken.
New South Wales the emphasis in
beer sales is on the off premise out
lets. According to Rhod Webb,
Inchcape's state manager for New
South Wales, this has everything to do
with the climate. "The consumers
here are more outgoing after work
than in other states. A lot of barbe
cues are held and what better drink
with a barbecue than beer." Mr Webb
is satisfied with the results of
Heineken in the off premise sector. In
the nightclubs and up-market bars
distribution is good, but the pull
through can improve further. And
that is one of the targets for Rhod
Webb and his people for 1994. The
right price for the product is an
essential part of these efforts. Four
dollars for a bottle of Heineken is
regarded by Rhod Webb as the ideal
price; a clear difference from the
local brands, but not too big a dif
ference. In reality, though, the
situation is sometimes different: 4.50
or 5 Australian dollars for a bottle of
Heineken (one Australian dollar is
approx. US$ 0.75).
Sydney, the Australian
metropolis.
seen on Australian TV before 8.30
p.m. Some months ago, however, the
Australian government decided that
commercials for alcoholic drinks may
be broadcast in connection with live
sports programmes. Since many
sporting events take place in the
afternoon, it is now possible to air
alcohol commercials before the 8.30
p.m. threshold. Thanks to this new
rule Heineken was able to broadcast
many TV spots during the Heineken
Classic golf tournament in Perth.
