Mon, Nov 24, 2014 page14

• Heineken manager says innovation is market key

  CITY BOTTLE: Taipei was one of 34 cities worldwide to be chosen for a special promotion by the brand, along with Amsterdam, London, Berlin, New York and Rio de Janeiro

  • By Lauly Li / Staff reporter
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  Heineken, the Dutch beer producer, is proud of its 150 years of history and legacy, and yet always wants to be one step ahead.

  “Heineken is innovative and always wants to bring new things to customers. I think that is part of the reason why Heineken Taiwan is successful in this country, because Taiwanese customers are very open to new things,” Heineken Brouwerijen B.V. Taiwan Branch general manager Peter Huizing told the Taipei Times in a recent interview at the company’s new Taipei office.

  Being an international brand, Heineken wants to be “big and close” at the same time, Huizing said.

  

  Heineken Taiwan general manager Peter Huizing says the brand is innovative and always wants to bring new things to its customers.

  Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health

  Photo: Courtesy of Heineken Taiwan

  With traditional lager sales under pressure in Europe and the US, the company’s introduction of the limited edition “City Bottle” in Taiwan in August was one of its efforts to be closer to local consumers, while helping boost growth and profits.

  “We live in Taiwan, we love in Taiwan, so we made a Taipei bottle... This is a way to show customers that we understand them,” Huizing said. “It also shows how important Taiwan is to the company.”

  According to Heineken, it entered the Taiwanese market in 1987 and the country is its second-largest export market in the world.

  

  Heineken’s limited-edition Taipei “city bottle” hit the market in August.

  Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health

  Photo: Courtesy of Heineken Taiwan

  “The brand has so much history in this country and Taiwanese drink 200 million Heinekens per year,” Huizing said.

  Traditional beer markets worldwide have become saturated over the past 10 years, but the Dutch brewer aims to gain the attention of customers, especially younger people and women, with a wide selection of products and more fun.

  “Open Your City” is one of Heineken’s global campaigns, with 34 cities around the world getting their own bottle.

  “There are so many cities in the world and everyone would like to have their own city bottle,” he said.

  Huizing and his team members had to fight very hard to get the Taipei bottle produced.

  Heineken Taiwan has also introduced New York, London, Berlin, Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro city bottles to the local market.

  Huizing said the limited-edition bottles represent the different cultures of each city.

  “The bottle for Taipei shows a city of energy,” he said.

  Huizing said the market reaction to the Taipei bottle was positive, even bringing strong sales momentum to the company this year despite the market having gone down a little bit.

  The government’s stricter measures to fight drunk driving, enacted last year, has led to the domestic beer market declining 2 percent this year, he said, adding that the market may be flat next year, citing the government’s stricter rules and the nation’s slow-growing population.

  However, Heineken Taiwan’s city bottle campaign has boosted sales, bringing double-digit growth last quarter, Huizing said.

  “People see the city bottle as a collectable, but more importantly, people appreciate quality products,” he said. “People see Heineken as a brand worth paying for.”

  Heineken also introduced Heineken Light — a new beer that contains fewer calories — to the local market and has received good reactions from consumers, he said.

  “The only way to continue growing is to innovate, and the only way to survive in the business is to take responsibilities,” Huizing said. “We believe in ‘to innovate or to evaporate.’”

  However, there is no reason to sit back and relax, he said, adding that Heineken Taiwan has also been promoting responsible drinking campaign in the country.

  “For a corporation, it is very important to define your role in society by taking corporate social responsibility seriously,” he said.

  Commenting about the strategy for an international brand to enter a new regional market, Huizing said one of the keys is “respect.”

  Heineken has three big values: Passion for introducing high quality products, respect for the environment and people around you, and bring enjoyment to customers, Huizing said.

  He said before Heineken Taiwan officially landed in Tainan in 1987, the company had been working closely with local wholesalers for more than 20 years and maintained good relationships with them.

  “You can only work with someone for that long a period of time when you respect each other,” Huizing said.

  It is very important to respect team members as well, Huizing said, adding that business has its good and bad times and that the key to survival is to support, trust and respect each other.

  “In Heineken, we don’t just say the values, we live our values,” he said.

  Talking about Taiwan’s recent series of adulterated food scandals, Huizing said that the incidents have raised people’s awareness of quality food products.

  “I think people value quality products more than ever,” he said.

  The scandals have limited impact on Heineken because the firm produces good quality beer and people have faith in the brand, Huizing said.
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