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The main topic Of discussion is that Heinlein is marketed as a “sporty’ common man’s beer in Europe, while in the united States it is seen as a “classy” beer marketed to a very particular publics. “Whininess’s Global Brand Image” Traveling is verb that can take you many places. To some, it simple means driving down the road to a friends, others it is a trip across the states, but to me it’s about capturing the world firsthand. Just as people travel, brands travel too. Upon my voyage to London, England and Dublin, Ireland I was in amazed of how many brands traveled from continent to continent.
The only thing about brands traveling is that some tend to get their luggage lost, which faces them with change due to the differences between cultures. Picture this. A green glass bottle with a shiny red star label crested on it. You are probably imagining the world famous Heinlein beer. Heinlein is one prime example of a brand’s luggage that got lost and faced change. From James Bond to Rugby Championships??Heinlein is marketed as a “sport)/’ common man’s beer in Europe, while in the United States it is seen as a “classy” beer marketed to a very particular publics. Throughout Europe, the Heinlein rand is what stood out to me.
The star labeled lager was painted on the billboards of Piccadilly Circus and the store corners of Grafton Street, which made it obvious that Heinlein is a global brand. According to the text in order to be a global brand it must be available across multiple geographies, be a brand with the same strategy and target markets, and brands that consumers can find under the same name in multiple countries with similar marketing activities. One difference that was very clear in every European advertisement was Whininess’s athletic brand image. There was no James Bond to promote the brand and no tuxedos worn.
This Heinlein was unlike Heinlein U. S. A. , it was all very new. According to the Mooing, this is an instance of power distance. Power Distance is a way to explain the handling Of differences between groups existing in a system. For example, status symbols are less frequently used in small power distance cultures than in large power distance cultures were prestige is an important appeal. According to Mooing, Heinlein uses the global-local paradigm. This paradox means that one can’t think globally, which every human thinks according to their own culture fined thinking pattern.
Globally, Heinlein is a popular specialty beer. However, its image is adjusted on a local level in Europe to appeal to people’s identities to make a connection with them and the beer. The reason behind this is because in most Western cultures, people tend to assess the Identity of self and others based on personality traits, on other individual characteristics such as age and occupation, and on material symbols. The U. S. Also uses this approach, but the difference is they are marketing their product to different target audiences and in different cultural markets.
A main reason its crucial or Heinlein to market their product a little differently in different cultures is because alcoholic beverages have a status value in masculine cultures and consumption is related to a social status in high power distance cultures, such as Europe and the U. S. (Moos, 105). Heinlein in Europe is viewed as athletic, common, and reasonable. The first term to describe Heinlein in Europe is athletic. The sport appeal is a huge brand identification element for Europeans. Overseas the brand is associated with sports.
This is similar to how Americans view beers such as: Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. Heinlein sponsors many sporting events throughout Europe. One of the biggest is The Heinlein Rugby Cup, which is the most prestigious trophy in the sport of Rugby and gives Heinlein a large amount of advertising. The Heinlein Cup is taken place in Dublin where the brand competes with the tradition of Guinness. Both of these beers are completely different, which gives each of them an advantage in their own way. According to VALE S, the target market for Heinlein in Europe are classified as experiences.
This group of people are motivated by self expression. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, ports, outdoor recreation, and social activities (VALE S). Heinlein is also well known in European athletics for its sponsorship with the Union of European Football Associations. This is the champion league of football for European men and women’s teams. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football. This sponsorship gives the Heinlein brand direct attention for every time this tournament is spoken about in the media.
Since this is Whininess’s second largest tie with European sports it is giving a brand image to its target audience of a “sporty’ beverage. A second term to describe Heinlein in Europe is common. Heinlein is a common alcoholic beverage to drink at any given occasion. In Europe it is acceptable for people 18 and over to casually drink alcohol whenever they please. To Americans this law might seem bizarre because the legal drinking age in the U. S. Is 21 years Old. An article on International Drinking said that the American culture of drinking is outside the global norm because most countries have a lower legal drinking age ( ).
Because of the lower drinking age, drinking alcohol is not seen as a big deal. According to VALE S, the target market for Heinlein beer in Europe is experiences. This group of people are motivated by self-expression. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities (VASS). Specialized glasses are another factor of why Heinlein is common in Europe. Whatever beer you drink you must drink it in a glass with the beer’s logo on it. From my personal experience in Europe, Heinlein was always served on draft at every pub. In the U. S. T would be very rare to drink Heinlein out of anything but a green bottle. The glass that beer is poured into at pubs is a large part of brand identity because people can tell what type of beer you are drinking just from your glass. In Europe every beer has it’s own specialized glass which make each brand unique it their own way. However, in the U. S. This part of a beer campaign is not a big issue. Billboards also play a factor of why Heinlein is common in Europe. Alcohol is a huge part of tradition and culture in Europe, and advertisements are displayed for all to see everywhere.
This was my main inspiration for choosing Heinlein as a topic of discussion because of he brands excellent billboard advertising techniques. A third term to describe Heinlein in Europe is reasonable. In Europe Heinlein is one of the most frequently purchased beers from the local convenience store or pub. This differs from America because Heinlein is an imported beer that is not the everyday Americans first choice when buying alcohol from a gas station or restaurant. The American brand image of Heinlein is very different from its European image.
Heinlein in the U. S. Is viewed as an imported beer that is associated with a specific target audience. According to VAL’S Heinlein is racketed to innovators. Innovators are successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem. They are very active consumers and image is important to them. Drinking Heinlein is a prestigious beer in the U. S. And appeals to them because their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life (VALE S). Heinlein in America is defined as classy, expensive, and rare.
The term classy is a given when referring to the brand of Heinlein in America. The green glass bottle is seen as a symbol of prestige and high-class. Unlike in Europe, it is not the beer you will find everyone drinking in a restaurant any given day. The reason Heinlein is classy is in America is due to the brands advertisements and promotions. One of the most recent sponsorships of Heinlein is its partnership with James Bond films in the latest movie, Safely. James Bond is a fictional secret service agent who sends a message of high-class from his tuxedos and big- band lifestyle.
This was a $45 million deal in which the Dutch beer company paid Safely producers to swap out the iconic Bond martini with the beer( A main promotion was a commercial featuring actor Daniel Craig as Bond liking on a train platform through the snow while the Bond theme song plays in the background. Craig then disappears and the audience watches a chase scene through the train. At the end of the commercial, Craig is waiting at the trait’s bar with the newest “bond girl”,Bernice Marlowe, both drinking a Heinlein. The deal has created quite a stir among Bond fans.
For the past 23 films Bond had a signature vodka drink with the catch phrase “Shaken not stirred” to accompany it. This is just another example of how the term class is used when referring to Heinlein. Another huge sponsorship Heinlein has in America is with the U. S. Open Tennis Championships. The brand has been sponsoring the event for over 21 years and dedicated to delivering the US Open and all of its fans with legendary experiences throughout the greatest two weeks in tennis in American( ). This tournament is a global event, which puts Heinlein on a pedestal.
This is the only major American athletic sponsorship that Heinlein has. It differs from Europe because Tennis is viewed as a high-class sport, therefore Heinlein is seen as luxurious. A second term to describe Heinlein in the U. S. Is expensive. This type of beer is to your everyday beer because it is imported from the Netherlands. For Americans this import is more expensive than of Europe because you have to ship it across sea. The average price for a six-pack of Heinlein is $1 0, and $6 for a bottle at a restaurant For the everyday American the expensive price is a drawback for purchasing.
This is why Heinlein markets to an upper class in the U. S. To make their beer appeal to as luxury beverage. Rare is another term to describe Heinlein in America. Things that are rare are often more valuable and held to a higher standard. Take diamonds for example, these eels are very rare which results in a higher demand and higher price. Heinlein is the same way. The beer is not served at every restaurant or bar because it is a rare type of beer. Heinlein is not the type of beer you will find at a local Chorale’s American restaurant, it only will be purchased at higher scale dining venues.
There are many elements to why the Heinlein brand is different from American and Europe. By branding Heinlein differently in the U. S. It appears to be unique. A brand is not merely just a product, it’s about the feeling a product evokes, which in this case, luxury. The feeling that nonusers get while viewing Heinlein advertisements will determine if they will pay more for the product or not (Moos). The advertisements themselves is what makes the Heinlein brand what it is today. Advertisements can help people develop opinions and stereotypes of brands.
They are a symbolic artifact constructed from the conventions of a particular culture (Moos, p. 169). Moos says there are four advertising styles that vary by culture. These include: appeal, communication style, basic advertising form, and execution (Moos, p. 169). The first type of advertisement that caught my eye while broad was billboards’. To the right, is one example off Heinlein billboard in Dublin, Ireland. This is a billboard campaign promoting Whininess’s 10th Anniversary and uses the direct style of advertising.
The visual ad is encouraging viewers to visit the Heinlein website to enter the challenge to design your own bottle. The challenge gives aspiring creative the opportunity to have their own design appear worldwide on a limited edition Heinlein bottle in 2013 ( This billboard was displayed all throughout London and Dublin in honor of Whininess’s 40th Anniversary. Personally, think this is a ere innovative way for Heinlein drinkers to get involved with the brands anniversary. Throughout Europe the Heinlein brand was promoted through various sporting events, as previously discussed.
To the left, is an example of a direct promotion that Heinlein displayed for the 2012 Heinlein Rugby Cup. This promotion is advertising an incentive to come to the Heinlein Cup games and to purchase Heinlein. This is one way to draw consumers to the game and drink Heinlein. The ad’s color is a huge promotion in itself too. If consumers see the advertisement without looking at the small logo on the oft, they would be able to tell it was a Heinlein Cup ad just from the color green and the trophy. Another way for Heinlein to advertise The Heinlein Cup was by branding the jerseys at the games.
Every jersey on every team is embroidered with the star logo to advertise the games. This is a subliminal message being sent to viewers. They are not realizing they are viewing the advertisement, but automatically recognize the Heinlein logo, and therefore associate the cup with sports. To the right is an example of what the Heinlein Cup jerseys look like. Notice how large the logo is on the shoulder, which is an obvious logo. From these European advertisements, the athletic image is enhanced to a national level. Making viewers think that Heinlein is associated with a sports image.
Heinlein U. S. A has different approaches to the way the brand markets itself to the U. S. In America the advertisement symbolize elegance and luxury to let viewers think if you drink Heinlein you are classy. To the left is an example of a billboard that was directed towards Americans. The slogan “Drops in Holland become Pints in America” means that the people in Holland are known for crafting their beer and every drop of Heinlein is brewed there, made into larger quantities and then shipped to the U. S. Advertising in print media is a huge industry to market your product in.
The advertisement to the right was taken out of an American magazine that uses the appeal advertising approach. The question in the ad states: “Why is Heinlein America’s number one imported beer? ” and answered with the word: “taste”. Heinlein is making it known through this advertisement that it’s an imported beer, which makes it more expensive. Also, the cheese in the background is symbolizing luxury. Currently in America, James Bond is the main spotlight for Heinlein. There have been many advertisements and commercials displayed throughout the country. James Bond is even filmed in his recent movie Safely, drinking Heinlein.
James Bond is viewed as a sophisticated secret service agent who is all about luxury. To the left is an advertisement to promote the partnership. It is a basic form of advertising because it’s using drama and entertainment as a focal point (Moos, p. 169). What makes this advertisement so significant is the fact that there are zero words to help promote James Bond and Heinlein. Just from viewing the advertisement you capture a sense of luxury. All of the American advertisements above prove the image Heinlein is trying to display to American’s is luxury, expensive, and high-class.
Overall, from the examination of the advertisements addressed you can see the major differences between cultures. Athletics play a huge role in the brand image of Heinlein in Europe and luxury plays a large part of Heinlein in the U. S. After analyzing each of these it is safe to say that advertising techniques vary from culture to culture. After my voyage overseas there comes a time to reflect on hangs learned while abroad. This trip was more than could have ever imaged and I gained so much knowledge about branding that I will take with me in the future.
From the second stepped of the plan in Heathers was minimized by the advertising techniques used. In London, advertising was all about the appeal. I could really tell that designers wanted to catch the audiences attention by either making their billboard the biggest or the brightest. In Dublin, it was more of a subliminal message. Yes, there were still large, bright advertisements, but the advertisements I saw were geared more award emotion. This all has to do with a change in culture. For example, saw a huge advertisement for The Hobbit in London that was 4 blocks long.
This same advertisement would look abnormal if it was placed in Dublin. This is due to the cultural differences. Yes, the are both capital cities, but they have different ways of advertising things. My perception of U. S. Advertisements began to change after this trip. Before visiting London, I thought New York City was the queen city for the most magnificent advertisement displays but was mistaken. New York City has many visual appealing advertisements in Times Square, but outside of that main part of the city the advertising seems to disintegrate. However, in London there is advertisement throughout the entire city.
Large billboards on every single building, cars, coach stops, tube stations… You name it- there is an advertisement on it. Many times caught myself just taking pictures of advertisements while was site seeing because they were so great. One thing that really stood out to me was how much alcohol was advertised in both cities. Alcohol is a huge part of their culture and I had no idea the impact on the advertising world it had. I am not used to his in the U. S. Because since the legal drinking age is higher I am not around places that advertise it that much.