Changing Perceptions and
Improving Beer Sales
WINNING WITH CONSUMERS
HEIN EKEN is the market leader in the lager category in Ireland, where more than 70% of consumers
drink lager. To support its customers in driving lager sales, the marketing team in Ireland has
embarked on a five-year campaign to challenge some of the common misconceptions that prevent
consumers from choosing lager on a wider variety of occasions, including home consumption.
T
he national wine industry
in particular has worked
JL hard since the 1980s to
communicate the positive attributes of
their product in this respect. Two decades
later, wine is perceived as a drink for
all occasions and is firmly established
as a natural product with a number of
associated health benefits. This is clearly
reflected in wine sales, which have
increased ten-fold during this period.
Just over a year ago, HEINEKEN in Ireland
carried out its own research into consumer
perceptions of lager, and the findings
showed that the lager category could
also clearly benefit from a concerted
effort to change misconceptions. "The
results showed that lager is generally
only associated with high-energy and
high-volume social occasions," explains
Alison McMahon, Category Development
Manager for HEINEKEN in Ireland.
"It's also considered to be mass produced
and processed. Only 10% of respondents
believed that lager was made from
natural ingredients, and only 5% of Irish
consumers could actually name the
ingredients. It was also considered to be
HEINEKEN in Ireland
encourages consumers and
foodies to consider beer as a
suitable alternative to wine
more fattening than other categories
of alcoholic beverages, such as wine
or spirits."
Room for Improvement
"While this isn't the type of news you want
to hear," she continues, "it also clearly
provides us with a massive opportunity.
We've put together a five-year plan to
Quarter 1 2012 World of HEINEKEN
