We’ve heard of blind taste tests between competitive products. Oftentimes, consumers can’t tell the difference between a national brand and its private-label equivalent. However, in recent years, retailers have taken it to a whole new level. These days, consumers might find it difficult to pick out a private label product on-shelf because of the way it’s packaged and marketed.
Modelo Especial, an import beer brand by Crown Imports LLC, Chicago, in collaboration with Sports Illustrated and international soccer player Clint Dempsey, last month invited fans to enter Modelo Especial’s VIP Soccer Sweepstakes. The contest awarded five grand prize winners a trip for two to attend an international soccer match of their choice.
Packaging innovations, such as Bud Light’s “My Bud Light” scratch-on bottle, Miller Lite’s Home Draft and Budweiser’s Fourth of July can, highlight the most effective beer ads among beer drinkers for the year-to-date, according to Ace Metrix, a Los Angeles-based TV advertising effectiveness agency.
The Brewers Association, Boulder, Colo., reported that craft beer dollar sales increased 15 percent and volume grew 14 percent in the first half of 2011.
SABMiller plc, London, and Molson Coors Brewing Co., Denver, reported that MillerCoors’ second quarter underlying net income, excluding special items, increased 2.6 percent to $400 million compared to the second quarter of 2010.
The frequently asked question, “What should I have to drink?” was the inspiration for Diageo’s flavored malt beverage (FMB) strategy. This summer’s advertising for Diageo’s Smirnoff Premium Malt Mixed Drinks answers that question featuring a “Fridgetender,” a portable bartender character who appears in refrigerators and coolers at the right time. In addition to Smirnoff Premium Malt Mixed Drinks, Diageo’s FMB lineup also includes the recently launched Jeremiah Weed FMBs and Smirnoff On The Rocks, which is a multi-serve version of the Premium Malt Mixed Drinks.
The beer category showcased a mixed bag of results as the industry saw prices increase and case sales decrease. Consumer preferences seemed to change compared to last year as some domestic below-premium brands saw sales decrease, while imported beers saw high points from a few particular brands.
Dundee Brewing Co., a brand of Rochester, N.Y.-based North American Breweries, rolled out its summer seasonal beer, Dundee Summer Wheat, in 12-ounce cans. The American-style Hefeweizen beer is the first beer in Dundee’s lineup to be packaged in cans, the company says. Dundee Brewer Jim McDermott announced that the brewery is joining the “craft can revolution,” and that the cans preserve the beer’s freshness, quality and authenticity as well as offer portability. Dundee Summer Wheat will be available in 12-pack can packages as well as six-packs of bottles.
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