Nikolay Tinov (right) with
sales manager Stanislav Stanev.
Golden Sands is therefore a holiday destination for the tour
ist with a fuller wallet. So it is not surprising that the sum
mer months are important for Nicolay Tinov, the Heineken
distributor for Varna, Golden Sands and another smaller
resort just south of Varna. "Beer is a seasonal product and
the tourist season is important for us. The season runs from
the middle of May until the middle of October, with the
busiest months being July, August and September. Most of
the hotels close down during the off season and that means
that in the winter we focus mainly on the local population
in Varna."
The summer of 1998 was also better for Mr Tinov than that
of 1997, though he does add one note of caution. "This year
there were more tourists than last year and so there has
been growth for Heineken, but if you look at the individual
spending pattern, then you see that it is lower." According
to the Food Beverage Manager of the Palace Hotel in the
Sunny Days Resort, that can be explained by the fact that
the most important Heineken drinkers are the Bulgarians,
whilst the majority of the guests in his hotel come from
Russia. Nevertheless, Nicolay Tinov sees a positive future for
Heineken. He bases that optimism both on external factors
and on his approach to the business. "There are three rea
sons to be positive. First, the market is developing well and
the economy is stable. Second, we are finding more and
more often that people are beginning to appreciate the
taste of Heineken and, third, we have a hard-and-fast rule
never to say 'no' to a customer who places an order. We
make sure we are never out of stock. If the customer wants
to be supplied with beer immediately, we can make the
delivery straight away. In doing business I have two guiding
principles that are very important to me personally: hon
esty and promptness."
ADVERTISING
Advertisements in the country's most prestigious daily
newspapers and magazines and commercials broadcast on
Bulgaria's most popular and internationally oriented radio
station are the media that Famous Beers uses for its mass-
market communication. Given the brand's relative impor
tance in the Bulgarian beer market, television advertising
would be too costly.
In addition, Famous Beers organises some ten promotions a
month in various on premise outlets such as bars, hotels,
nightclubs and pubs. These always relate to simple but
highly effective promotions that are hosted by a represen
tative of Famous Beers or - preferably - by the outlet's own
disc jockey. He asks the customers in the bar questions
«aas?»
