A winning portfolio
(left to right) Gulnara Danybayeva,
Sasha Makarenko and Irina Lyubimova
AMSTEL
help of Laurent Théodore (now Senior Brand Manager in Russia)
who was seconded to Dinal.
Sales in Kazakhstan quickly picked up. In the first full year sales
volume rose by 55% and in 2003 again 40% volume increase was
achieved. At this moment Amstel has a significant share of the
national premium segment and sells 60 000 hi a year. According
to Global Amstel Brand Team Regional Marketing Manager,
Gaël de Talhouët, the success of Amstel in Kazakhstan is based on
the European heritage of the brand (Amsterdam origin), combined
with the high quality and a premium pricing still accessible.
"Amstel definitely benefits from its international premium image
and price. Those are the key factors of success".
The UEFA Champions League, the prestigious European soccer
league which Amstel sponsors already for ten years, also helped
the development of the brand tremendously. Last year's promotion
for consumers had a direct impact on sales and at the same time
helped building the strength of the brand. The winner of the contest
in the promotion was invited to the UEFA Champions League final.
The ambition, shared by the Global Amstel Brand Team and the
Dinal Team is stated as follows: "For the coming years, the
objective is to further improve our sales and distribution efficiency
and continue to increase the premium value of the brand".
As a Premium International brand, Amstel is a perfect complement
in Dinal Brewery brand portfolio, to the local Kazakh brand -
Tian-Shan (Mainstream segment), licensed Bochkarev (Russian
origin segment), and the imported Heineken brand (Super Premium
segment).
The team at Dinal, Joost van Roon (General Manager), who also
participated in the start of the story, Sasha Makarenko (Marketing
and Strategy Director), Gulnara Danybayeva (Brand Director), and
Irina Lyubimova (Amstel Brand Manager), are confident in the future
of the Amstel brand, and are committed to focus their energy on
strengthening the premium value of the brand, its premium visibility
and its position on trade.
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