It's all about image
Bucking the trend
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
the success of the Coors Light brands within our portfolio. The future will
see further brand launches as the market continues its evolution towards
ever easier to drink products."
"The prosperity in the Irish market has brought a desire for more premium
products," says Colm McNamara, Senior Brand Manager for the Heineken
brand in Ireland. "That applies as much to the cars people drive as the
beverages they drink. People have more money in their pockets. We're
seeing a step change as they look beyond their norms, and seek out new
and interesting things."
In the context of the beer market, that means that consumers are reaching
for more premium brands, McNamara says. This "trading-up" is being
amplified as consumers discover and try new brands and offerings that they
would not have considered previously. For example, on-trade represents
more than 72 per cent of the market, due to the strength of the pub culture -
and there, bottles are growing in popularity, with draught beer losing ground.
As people become wealthier, they aspire to lead more healthy lifestyles,
McNamara says. "Some of the current moves in the beer market also tie in
with health. Increased health-consciousness has seen gym membership
jump substantially in Ireland, for example. In the same vein, people are
reaching for light beers, while per capita consumption of beer in Ireland
continues to decline towards more continental levels."
McNamara says that the main objective is to sustain Heineken's positive
growth by maintaining its current position as a premium brand. In April,
Heineken Ireland had a 21.9 per cent share of the overall beer market. This
is an increase of 1.6 percentage point as compared to the beginning of
2006.
The company also intends to strengthen its position through its association
with Heineken's world-class sponsorships such as the Rugby World Cup in a
couple of months' time and the annual Heineken' Cup - Europe's premier
club rugby event. It also will continue to develop locally relevant advertising
