The Tasting Panel magazine

May 2011

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Dance HEINEkEN POURS ON ITS DRAUGHT INITIATIVE by martin Bihl / photos by Doug young eanne Maciel is pouring a Heineken. From a tap. “Heineken’s the number one draught lager in the world,” she says “but, let’s face it, the U.S. is a bottle market.” She tilts the new Heineken glass so that the distinctive fl ange is parallel to the bar. “Don’t get me wrong—we’re ecstatic about that; it’s a very good bottle market for us and our green bottle is incredibly iconic with beer drinkers.” She tips the glass up, as the head rises above the star on the L front of the glass. “But we noticed a trend among U.S. beer drinkers; in their quest for new and interesting experiences, they are moving increasingly towards draught beer.” She skims the excess head off the glass, eliminating the bitterest foam. “And while getting more taps in accounts is always a priority for every brewer, this seemed like the perfect time for us to focus on bringing more draught experiences to drinkers in the States.” She puts the glass on a Heineken coaster and pushes it towards the edge of the bar. “How’s that?” Maciel is the Brand Manager on Heineken dedicated to their draught initiative in the U.S. “I was recently in Ireland where we’re number two behind, well, you-know-who, to bring back some insight for our teams here in the States. But I think our distributors are already very excited about this. Like I said, getting taps is nothing new in itself. What is new is the way we’re doing it, that we’re dedicated to making this a long-term commitment and that we’re giving them the tools they need to be successful.” Those tools include the distinctive glass that Maciel just fi lled with Heineken, the one with the fl ange that helps assure the glass is at the proper angle during the pour. Then there’s print, out-of-home and digital that will cover 25 markets—all dedicated to the draught effort while still supporting the overall Heineken campaign. And, of course, there’s the Amsterdam- imported “Star Pour” that Maciel demonstrated. “It’s all about bringing it back to the liquid” Maciel says. “A draught initiative like this lets us talk about the beer in a way we’ve wanted to for years. Like the fact that Heineken’s recipe has been unchanged since 1873. Or that Heineken has a long tradition of craftsmanship. Or that it’s brewed in 40 countries. Or that its taste is award-winning. All things that work in concert with our bottle business—because while this initiative is about draught, it’s still ultimately about what goes in every bottle.” And we’ll drink to that. BIHL YOUR BRAND A draught initiative like this lets us talk about the beer in a way we’ve wanted to for years.” may 201 1 / the tasting panel / 107

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