Developing brands
that appeal to a new
generation of beer
drinkers..."
World of Heineken 43 - winter 2010
not a mechanical concept - it can range
between heavy technological innovations
like the Orion Draught system for the
on-trade to the new aluminium bottles.
"We have very good innovations in
Heineken, and are first in the market with
many, including the DraughtKeg, the 'green'
fridge and the BeerTender," says Alexis. But
he sees room to improve. "Our ambition is
to double our innovation rate in ten years.
To date it is around 3% of our business and
we want to double that to 6%."
The increased focus on innovation will be
supported by more effective, disciplined
innovation roll-outs. "We need clear
strategies to drive our innovation
agenda," he says, revealing a five-year
'masterplan' of specific deliverables and
execution principles.
"The skill is to go with the right innovation
to the right market at the right time, and
with the right support. You cannot put
things into the marketplace, hope they
work and then pull out support whenever
there is difficulty in making your numbers,"
he affirms.
CHANGE FROM WITHIN
Alexis joined Heineken at the same time
as the company's long term sustainability
programme, 'Brewing a Better Future'
was taking shape. This sits comfortably
with Alexis' own ambitions, and his own
clear focus - to win. "I see the Global
Commerce team playing a very important
role in 'Brewing a Better Future'. We have
a responsibility to consumers, customers,
employees, stakeholders and even more
importantly, future generations. We're very
focused on supporting responsible drinking,
green packaging and sustainability issues
across the board."
Heineken also has clear action plans to
drive growth in Europe. Alexis doesn't
see the implementation of these plans
as a programme of individual initiatives,
rather "an evolution in mindset", which
will rebalance growth between the top
and bottom line. Within Heineken, Alexis is
already planting the seeds for long-term
growth. "Short-term growth is insufficient.
I talk about planting the acorn. These are
not things which will yield an immediate
return, but which will expand the market
in the longer term. Heineken has made
a firm commitment to take a lead role
in working with the industry to reinforce
the positive image of beer and grow the
market," says Alexis.
He's also identified selective new global
brand launches based on gaps in the
existing portfolio and changing market
trends. These will appeal to a new
generation of beer drinkers and the
global roll-out of, for example, the
successful Strongbow Gold cider brand,
will help Heineken compete with other
beverage categories.
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
Alexis has established his strengthened
Global Commerce team, which will provide
clear focus and support in a number of
crucial business areas. It is well ahead
of schedule in reaching specific goals,
something which Alexis identified early on
as being "crucial for credibility".
A new European Modern Retail Director,
Stefano Borghi, has begun the process of
engaging with some of Heineken's biggest
customers, who will have one point of
contact with an international key account
manager. This has already been positively
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