WINNING WITH CONSUMERS
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Portfolios
which in turn is stronger than the idea of consistency. Take Affligem,
for example, a premium abbey beer made in Belgium. Pricing it at a
premium level, then selling it in a village pub in Kansas on a buy-one-
get-one-free basis isn't congruent. But sell it at upmarket Duane Reade's
in New York City, with a specialist sales force focused on quality, and
activate it through programmes that revolve around flavour, elegance
and food pairing; that's congruent. The result is stronger brand equity
and a higher return on your investment, as each activity builds on the
other in a synergistic way."
It is a strategy that appears to be working. Heineken® is extremely
successful on a global level, and it is supported by a continuous cycle of
world-class marketing, communication, innovation and activation. Last
year saw record growth, the highest in five years.
Brand Expansion
Desperados, HEINEKEN's second-largest global brand, grew 26% in
volume in 2011. This was thanks to a combination of increased demand
in existing markets and expansion into new countries.
Until recently, Strongbow Gold was available in the UK, USA and South
Africa. Following a pilot launch in Italy earlier this year, HEINEKEN has
fine-tuned its distribution and sales model and recently launched the
brand in Hungary with huge success.
"In instances of an unproven brand model, we conduct pilot tests as
this tells us far more than desk research. It is a practical approach and
ensures we don't repeat mistakes when we launch on an international
level," says Alexis. "We had plenty of rich learnings working with Italian
customers in our cider pilot market. Beer sales in Italy had flattened,
so we explained how adding Strongbow Gold creates opportunities for
additional consumption among existing consumers and the potential to
attract new consumers."
Quarter 3 2012 World of HEINEKEN I 37
