Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/27652
At Molson, part of the com- Peroni is focusing on food and beer pairing promotions. pany’s MillerCoors operation, this is the 225th anniversary of the opening of John Molson’s first Montreal brewery, the oldest in North America. Molson got a big boost from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver last year, and the brand capitalized by revamping its Molson Canadian label so that packages look the same globally as they do in Canada. This year, the label change will extend to Molson Ice and Molson Golden. Hockey continues to be the big driver behind Molson Canadian, but to extend that leverage point into the off-season, the brand is taking a page from its ad cam- paign romancing Canada itself and celebrating its great outdoors. The brand plans a bigger summer program based on a “Canadian Summer” experience. A con- sumer sweeps will offer a chance to win a summer vaca- tion in Canada. North American Brewing peaking of our neighbors to the north, Labatt USA also experienced growth last year (up 3.8%), partly due to interest in Canada generated by the Olympics. “Our go-to-market plan is about going to con- sumers,” said Jason Drewniak, brand manager for Labatt USA. “We know who’s drinking Labatt and who’s drink- ing Labatt Blue Light.” Labatt Blue gets a new label this April, and a loyal- ty program that kicked off last year gets a four-pronged approach this year. For every 18-, 24-, and 30-can or 18- bottle case, consumers can earn points. Points can be redeemed at a website for merchandise ranging from hats and T-shirts to mini refrigerators. Now through April the promotion is themed around hockey and features hockey merchandise. This summer, the promotion will revolve around grilling with prize packs and merchandise geared toward summer backyard barbecues. A new ad campaign kicks off for Blue Light in April. The focus will be on showing consumers that Blue Light is a refreshing beer that’s easy to drink. “Consumers told us what’s important to them and how they want to con- nect to beer brand like Blue Light,” said Drewniak. The brand is running TV, outdoor and online ads. Paulaner HP USA e’ve increased our sales organization, since we’re largely responsible for sell- ing the first box ourselves,” said Coleman. “We’re sticking to small geographic areas to build the brand, even pockets within an urban area. “We’re also moving to on-demand warehousing. Our forecasts have to be spot on, but the positive side is that distributors are taking smaller shipments of each SKU, so our beer is as fresh as it can be.” The importer also is focusing more on 12-pack sales with more emphasis on chain accounts. “Single-bottle sales have fallen,” Coleman said. “Ten years ago they were a sampling tool, but consumers know what they like now. We’re selling more 6- and 12-packs, and the growth of cans is substantial for those brands that offer them. We can ship twice as many cans as bottles for the same price.” Fuller’s started selling London Pride in cans last year. Paulaner will come out with cans this spring. Maximize your positive press from your feature in Reprints Maximize the marketing power of your feature. Eprint Give your feature a presence on the World Wide Web. Fame Frame TM Transform your feature into an impressive work of art with a customized wall plaque. For custom reprints of articles in this magazine contact: Cheryl Naughton, M2MEDIA360, (678) 292-6054 or cnaughton@m2media360.com Contact Cheryl Naughton at 678-292-6054 cnaughton@m2media360.com Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • March/April 2011 • 71