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Holsten UK plans to revitalise its brand with new marketing and advertising campaigns including a wide ranging packaging revamp.
MD Jeremy Main and sales director Geoff Bradman want to take the brand back to its authentic roots and reverse some of the changes made in the 1990s when both the liquid and the labelling were changed.
In 1990 Holsten Pils and Export had combined volumes of 1.2m hectolitres, today the volume is half that.
Main said: "It was too simplistic to just go after the 18 to 24 year olds.
"The core values of Holsten are not about being young and trendy. Holsten is authentic, German, high quality, high abv packaged lager.
"When the changes were made the brand got left in the middle. Consumers did not really know what it stood for."
No alterations are being made to the liquid but in the spring the packaging will change to something recognisable as the green and yellow Holsten livery.
New advertising is being worked on and the company will be spending £6m of a £15m marketing budget on TV advertising this year.
The changes began last year with a strategic review of the business. In August the company took back responsibility for the brand in the off-trade from Scottish Courage.
Consumer research was carried out to find out what people thought of the brand.
The push will begin with price led activity and tailormade initiatives from April.
Main said: "We needed to work out who we wanted to market the brand to. It will not be as ubiquitous as Stella Artois or Kronenbourg 1664. We will be targeting 25-40 year old lager drinkers."
Bradman said: "We need to get those people who know the brand to buy more and for that we need more pack sizes. Consumers said one of the problems was that they could not get the brand in the pack size they wanted."
Most of Holsten's off-trade volume is now in cans and its distribution in glass bottles has been declining.
Bradman said: "We want to stabilise our position in the on-trade and win 10% volume growth in the off-trade."
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