Heineken: How did it become the most popular brand in the beer market?

The origins:

In 1873, Gerard Adriaan Heineken wants to product beer. So, he buys a brewery in the centre of Amsterdam and starts his business. This is the beginning of one of the greatest brands in the world. After his death in 1893, it’s his wife Marie Tindal who takes the lead until 1914. She increases the sales by 30%. But the company has so much grown with their son as leader, Henry Pierre Heineken. Indeed, he is the one who succeed to sale at the international with the help of his son Alfred Henry Heineken, who worked on the strategy of communication of the brand. Today it’s Charlène Carvalho-Heinekenwho is the executive director of the brand and holds 25% of market shares.

What made the success of this brand?

The quality of the product makes this brand so successful. Indeed, the beer like Gerard Adriaan Heineken wanted is made with special components and conditions. They use “Yeast A” which gives a special taste to the beer. And also, they adapt the fermentation technique for this special ingredient to get the best taste for their beer. This quality was recognized in the world, and Heineken earned some rewards like a gold medal in Paris in 1875 and a great price during the universal exposition in 1989 in Paris.

The communication was very important to make this company a success. It’s more than a label, it’s an image. In 1948, they changed the three “e” in the logo name in what they call the “smiling e”. And they also changed the colour in 1954 to differentiate themselves from the competitors. So, they passed from red to green.

Before:

After:

The values of the company drive Heineken on the top of the world. Indeed, they stand for quality but also for ecology. They communicate on the fact that they want to protect the environment and preserve the earth that’s why their products are green and recyclable. Moreover, they try to make people more responsible of their alcohol consumption. And finally, they stand for creating social links by supplying coffees and bars in the world.

The innovations of Heineken make their product very successful in the world. Because they are always trying to diversify their beers to have a lot of different taste and be sure that a lot of people will drink Heineken.

Conclusion:

Today Heineken, is the second richest beer company behind AB InBev in the world. Heineken is number one in France. And we hope their beer will continue to be present in our bars and celebrations.