Dec 16, 2008

Mktg - Tennent's Beer starts the revelry on-ground

Chhavi Tyagi

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), it seems, will try all means to give its latest offering, Tennent's Beer, as strong a launch as the beer itself is claimed to be. Just a few days after revealing the outdoor campaign for Tennent’s, the Belgium-based brewer has come out with a below-the-line (BTL) strategy to give its target audience their first taste of the brand.

Raja Mukherji, chief executive officer and director, AB InBev, says, “We are focussing on two things at this point. One is spreading the word with shopfront signages and, two, building consumer awareness at the point of connect. The last six-seven seconds before a customer walks into a shop are very crucial because, more often than not, the decision on which brand of beer to buy is made at that time. We want to make sure that we cover this ground firmly and leave nothing to chance.”

The BTL campaign, activated last week, is being conducted in three states – Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh – across a number of retail shops and beer outlets such as bars, pubs and restaurants. Though the activity will be on-ground till mid-January, bars and other such counters will see the action only on weekends.

Mukherji adds, “Special nights are being held at select bars and pubs with local artists, music bands and other performing artists. In addition, there are several offers with Tennent's Beer. We want to offer the perfect ambience to our target audience when they enter the place. We are looking forward to driving maximum consumer engagement with our brand.”

AB InBev has not roped in any BTL agency, though Mukherji says that there are a bunch of service vendors who have been given the task of executing the campaign. He says, “We have broken down the entire campaign and hired some local vendors to help us. We have our in-house trade activation unit to ensure the successful implementation of the campaign.”

AB InBev, which started its Indian operations in 2007, is one of the world's top five consumer product companies. It manages a portfolio of more than 200 brands, which includes global flagship brands such as Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck's; fast-growing, multi-country brands such as Leffe and Hoegaarden; and others such as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Quilmes, Michelob, Harbin, Sedrin, Cass, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske and Jupiler.

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