Winter is coming...

As we have seen previously, in 2013 Heineken has become the 1^st beer group in France, overcoming its big rival Kronenbourg. This happened in a market where sales are slowly but surely going down. So we have seen that in order to boost their figures and conquer new customers, Heineken and Kronenbourg have embraced strategies aiming at young adults. With the launching of these products (Skoll, K by Kronenbourg, limited edition of Heineken bottles…), the 2 conglomerates have given to the consumers a refreshing image, especially Kronenbourg which had the image of an old-fashioned beer brand.

 

Nevertheless, they seem to choose 2 different ways in terms of marketing strategy. Indeed, in 2015, Heineken will be more than ever the sports beer. They are an official partner of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and they will also become official partner of the Major Soccer League, the US football league. They are betting on these events for their worldwide exposition but also because they have acquired a major experience when it comes to produce high quality promoting videos. What’s more, Heineken will still be partner of the Champion’s League and of the Rugby H-Cup. They seem to focus a lot on customers that are fond of sports events.

Concerning Kronenbourg, they are betting on 2 ways of conquering new market shares. Firstly, they will keep on advertising a lot their new products (Skoll and K by Kronenbourg) to give the brand a new impulse, some fresh air. This strategy is paying since Skoll has been very successfully launched and installed in the trendy beer market (5.6% of market shares 1 year after the launching). The other strategy will consist in promoting their high quality beer 1664. Since the volume of sales is decreasing, Kronenbourg wants to increase their margin by selling more trendy beers and quality beers. 

All in all, we can say that the “war” Heineken and Kronenbourg are fighting in France has just become. All indicates that they will keep on launching innovative, funny and aggressive advertising campaign. 

Sources: 
http://www.theheinekencompany.com/media/media-releases/press-releases/2014/10/1860908
http://www.brasseries-kronenbourg.com/media/communiques-dossiers-presse/produits-marques/actualites-2014/Documents/030314-Brasseries-Kronenbourg-reussit-le-lancement-de-skoll.pdf
http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/alsace/2014/02/19/biere-la-guerre-des-chiffres-entre-kronenbourg-et-heineken-418621.html