Stella Artois Case Study: tapping into the rise of green and ethical consumerism in alcoholic drinks

Introduction

ABInBev has taken a different approach to the marketing of the Stella Artois brand in the UK by tapping into consumers' intensifying ethical and environmental concerns through the 'Recyclage Deluxe' campaign. This case study assesses how the company has approached this, following a series of short-lived sub-brand extensions designed to improve the brand's image were subsequently withdrawn

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Table of contents

DATAMONITOR VIEW
CATALYST
SUMMARY
ANALYSIS
The introduction of a "green" focused message into the UK beer category marks a change in tack for the category
ABInBev has developed a holistic set of green initiatives in Stella Artois' marketing
Volume sales in the UK beer category are falling, reflecting a challenging market scenario in recent years
The on-trade is spearheading the decline of the UK alcoholic beverage sector
Greater competition for consumer spend is driving a fall in on-trade beer sales
UK larger lager brands typically trade heavily on price, while smaller successful brands typically have a distinct market positioning
Stella Artois is a well-established brand in the UK beer category that predominately targets young adult consumers
Affluent men aged 18-34 years old are the core target audience for Stella Artois
Younger men are not necessarily the optimum target group for a reduced packaging message
Alcohol still lags behind the wider CPG goods in green and ethically aligned messages, but the Stella campaign arguably reflects a change of emphasis
The lightweight bottle, and reduced packaging moreover, is at the forefront of the latest Stella Artois campaign
Lightweight packaging also has positive cost implications for ABInBev
The campaign takes the concept of the "hedge fund" and turns it on its head
Conclusions and implications

APPENDIX
Definitions
Methodology
Secondary sources
Further reading
Ask the analyst
Datamonitor consulting
Disclaimer

List of Tables
Table 1: Market insight: UK Beer and Wine volume, by product category, 2003-2014
Table 2: Market insight: UK Beer and Wine volume, on-trade share, 2003-2009
Table 3: Consumer survey: perceived influence that reduced packaging has when making food and beverage choices, by age within gender, 2009
Table 4: Consumer survey: perceived influence that reduced packaging has on product choice of UK consumers, by CPG sector, 2010
Table 5: Product insight: new products claiming organic and reduced packaging benefits, by CPG sector, June 2008-June 2010

List of Figures
Figure 1: The Stella Artois lightweight bottle and the Recyclage Deluxe campaign clearly emphasize the brand's new green positioning
Figure 2: UK beer volume sales fell 6% between 2003 and 2009, while wine volume sales rose 11% over the same time period
Figure 3: The pursuit of products with environmental and/or ethical credentials can have health connotations which is why the 'ethical wellbeing' trend should be recognized by industry players
Figure 4: History of significant Stella Artois new product launches in the UK
Figure 5: ABInBev have focused on ingredient simplicity and sub-brand extensions to enhance the Stella Artois brand
Figure 6: UK men aged 18-34 are the most likely to visit pubs, bars and restaurants on a regular basis
Figure 7: Men aged 18-34 in the UK are no different than the national average in the influence that reduced packaging has when they make food and beverage choices
Figure 8: As a proportion of the UK population, men aged 20-34 has fallen and is expected to remain flat in the medium-term
Figure 9: In the UK, alcohol lags behind other CPG sectors-particularly food and personal care-in new product launches aimed at green/ethical consumers
Figure 10: In the UK, the influence that amount of packaging has on the choice of alcoholic beverage is lower than in other CPG sectors
Figure 11: These new reduced packaging pouched product launches from the UK market highlight a new direction for product packaging

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Related research categories

By sector: General alcohol, General drinks