Our ambassadors
combine centuries
of tradition with
new exciting
products.
v
"The ambassadors are HEINEKEN
employees who come from a number of
departments - IT, Quality Control, Sales
- but all of them are passionate about
beer," says Amel.
For the Love of Beer
Brewers traditionally wore thick leather
aprons to protect their clothes when they
rolled the heavy barrels of beer from
one place to another. The leather apron
remains a potent symbol of the trade.
It also makes Heineken® ambassadors
immediately recognisable.
HEINEKEN in France introduced the
internal ambassadors' programme in
2009 to provide employees with the
same level of knowledge about the
culture of the company and its products.
Following the success of the programme,
ambassadors now dedicate the majority
of their ambassadorial time to clients.
"For example, our key account managers
organise a day once a year when they
meet off-trade clients and discuss
HEINEKEN's upcoming operational plans
and forecasts.
"This year, we had some major additions
to our portfolio with the launch of
Pelforth 3 Malts, Affligem Tripel
and Despejito, a cocktail made with
Desperados* beer. At the end of the day,
our ambassadors treated the clients to
a short session on beer culture and gave
them the opportunity to taste the new
products."
She concludes: "Our ambassadors are
able to share our love of beer without
needing to talk about the business.
They are highly knowledgeable about
how our products are made and served,
but are not part of any commercial
discussions. We've found that our clients
appreciate that."
42 World of HEINEKEN Autumn 2011
