BRAND BUILDING
Star Trek is just one of
numerous high-profile music
events run by Star to engage
consumers in Nigeria
do their job. "This means ensuring
transporters have access to the right
trucks, and vehicles that don't break
down on the road. This sounds simple
and it probably is, but we don't take it
for granted. Moreover, the distribution
is done in fixed territories. This allows
us to have focus areas and build strong
relations with retailers and warehouses."
On the marketing side, Star was re
activated through new campaigns. By
West African standards, a 50-year-old
brand is old. So Star is promoted as
a brand that stands for the trusted
age-old quality and is attractive to
young and old who are looking for fun
and togetherness. "The majority of
our competition comes from imported
brands that take about six to eight weeks
to get here. So in 2010, we launched the
'Fresh is Better' campaign, building on
Star's quality credentials and inspired by
the fact that it is a truly local beer."
In October 2011, Star launched another
successful campaign called 'The Boss
is Back'. For the first time in its then 49
years, Star got a serious makeover. 'The
Boss is Back' had a number of stories
to tell, recalls TK. "We gave the bottle a
trendy new crown and a longer neck. It
was wrapped as a national icon in the
flag of Sierra Leone, to underline our top
position in the nation. It was our most
successful campaign yet, because more
and more people from all over Sierra
Leone started to identify with Star."
Star's rise hasn't gone unnoticed by the
industry. While the brand was getting
national recognition for its marketing
campaigns, international authorities also
didn't hide the fact they were impressed
with Star's quality. For the first time since
1974, Star won the Bronze Quality Award
from Monde Selection, the Brussels-
based international institute for quality
selection, in 2010. A year later, Star won
bronze again. And in 2012, the brand took
home the gold medal.
2k
World of HEINEKEN Quarter 4 2012
