the blurring of heineken

Let me start upfront that I have hated Heineken marketing (or at least what I perceive they are doing) for maybe the last 5 years ago or so. This became top of mind to me when the agency I was at tried to push its way into the Heineken Light review.

First. I am sure all the numbers pointed toward Heineken starting to offer a Light beer (and I also admit I think it is a fine tasting beer … maybe the best light beer on the market).

Second. I think it was a crappy idea for Heineken character (or brand … whatever you want to call it) to offer a light beer (not that it didn’t create an opportunity for them but for “the import of imports” to be Light didn’t seem right).

Third. With the introduction of a light beer product I thought they still had an opportunity to “de-Americanize” the main Heineken product (which is something I still believe they need to do). I will explain this one later on.

There you go.

So let’s talk about why I am grumpy every time I see some type of Heineken advertising or marketing.

It looks like Budweiser or Bud Light or Miller Lite (I can’t tell them apart) advertising. Or any American brand (excepting maybe Coors who I love the strategy they are on just wish they had executed on that strategy differently). Separately, the only domestic beer I believe understands their key loyal audience and communicates directly to them is Sam Adams.

Anyway.

Here’s the deal. Heineken isn’t an American beer (not technically). Heineken became the best import beer in America because it was a great tasting high end imported beer. And don’t tell me it’s the green bottle because Little Kings and Rolling Rock were and are in green bottles (bet that’s the first and last time you will ever see Heineken and Little Kings in the same sentence).

But somewhere along the way some marketing type (who was probably under pressure to increase sales) started thinking … “hey, we can access more of the American mainstream market if … well … we start acting more American.”

Geez. I hope he/she/it got fired.

I can only imagine that presentation had whiz bang charts and graphs with lots of lines pointing upwards (on the right hand side of the chart except when in Chinese). Look. I don’t mind American humor and a lot of it is really funny (just not in beer advertising lately). But Heineken didn’t build its position in the marketplace by being mainstream American.

They built it by being an elitist European snob. Oh. And elitist European snob beers can charge more.

I love these types of discussions because brands like Heineken should be the easiest brands to revitalize if you pushed the brand managers out of the way.

Stop looking American. Stop using American humor. Remind people of the reason why Heineken was so special in the beginning. In fact, how cool would it be if Heineken did a campaign that said “whoa, we needed to stop doing that American humor crap, sorry, it was a mistake, we aren’t Bud Light and we forgot that for awhile … but then we sat around drinking our own beer and remembered what crap Bud Light is. Ok. Here is who we are …”

Well. That would certainly be refreshing (no pun intended).

So. Let me net this down cause I think Heineken could kick some ass:

1. Tone. I am not against using humor but if they are going to use humor, use Belgian/Netherlands type humor (I assume it has to do with dikes and pot and things like that).
2. Attitude. Be elitist because it is an elite import. Ok. Some asshole is going to start pointing out research numbers about how beer drinking consumers cannot tell the difference between beers anymore and they are cynical about imports and … well … all that bullshit. Look. If I believed numbers I wouldn’t have even applied to graduate school. Numbers can tell you whatever you want them to tell you (if you have enough of them to rub together). Being snobbish is what got them into the position to freak out when someone came along and started challenging them and they knee jerked into fighting back by trying to “fit in.” Plus. I do love to see numbers that point out that people are cynical about something you really are. Then the challenge is easy. Figure out how to tell them who you really are so they believe it. Awesome in its simplicity.
3. Advertising for original Heineken. This is one situation where advertising can make a huge difference. I sometimes believe advertising is asked to do some things that are impossible to do. In this case I believe advertising can make a huge difference for Heineken (mostly because I do believe their non-Light product does taste great and does taste different than most bland American beer).
4. Positioning. Make Heineken Light the American beer. Maybe you don’t tell the public but internally call a spade a spade. “We had to make a Light beer because Americans prefer it but here in pot smoking Amsterdam we only drink the real stuff. Maybe the French would like a light beer too but not us.” Hey look. Heineken Light, taste wise and look wise (the bottle), can compete against any full bodied American beer out there as well as kick any domestic Light beer’s ass even with its bottle cap tied behind its back.

That’s it. So. Do I think I am smarter than anyone who has been thinking and working with Heineken? Nope. But I do wonder if they let some numbers and the craving for sales tell them some things that led them astray. And maybe this will enlighten them to the way to success.