White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA welcomed its wholesale community to Atlanta for its annual National Distributor Conference. The annual event was the first with its new chief executive officer Maggie Timoney, who took the executive role earlier this summer.
In Timoney’s presentation, she detailed executions from the company to help support its Core Brands — Heineken, Tecate and Dos Equis — in the coming year. All three brands will be delivering new beverage solutions to consumers as well as rolling out programs designed to engage these beer drinkers.
For Tecate, the Mexican import brand will continue its partnership with the boxing community as well as soccer and grilling occasions. In addition, the brand will have increased focus within the on-premise channel. The Dos Equis brand will utilize its Keeping it Interesante campaign, which encourages folks to embellish their stories to keep friends entertained and engaged during nights out, for the entire 2019 year. Rolled out in the first quarter of 2018, Keeping it Interesante is an evolution of the Most Interesting Man in the world set out to prove that “interesting” is not limited to just one man – it’s in everyone.
The flagship Heineken brand will have a plethora of news set to be unveiled in 2019, including the launch of Heineken 0.0, an alcohol-less Heineken variety that will hit the market Jan. 1, 2019. The new product will be available in six-pack bottles and cans. The company also reiterated to its wholesale community its commitment to bringing growth to the brand again.
Heineken USA also noted that Strongbow Hard Cider will have innovation news for 2019. With its new innovations from this year the brand is taking on the wellness and light refreshment trends.
The company also addressed news for other emerging brands. Amstel Light will see refocusing in 2019, while Red Stripe see a focus on art and music festivals, as well as other relevant event opportunities. These brands as well as Tiger beer will be positioned areas where consumers demand for these brands remains high thereby fueling more growth for them. Additionally, new things are on the horizon for New Castle in 2019 as the brand will see a relaunch in February.
Other big news coming from the conference is the company’s commitment to its sustainability program: Brew a Better World, which aims to use global brands as a positive force for change while managing its effects on society in order to protect people and the planet, it says. The company is looking to think beyond 2020 and will define its 2030 commitments to align with the COP21 Paris Agreement on climate change, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the expectation of its stakeholders, the company says. BI
