PAGE 28
Kaieteur News
Saturday February 02, 2019
Budweiser spends big on Super Bowl, targets small markets BRUSSELS/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - This Bud’s for you.At least, that is what Anheuser-Busch InBev hopes as it strives to reach more than 100 million U.S. TV viewers during Sunday’s Super Bowl, promoting vintage brands such as Budweiser and Bud Light. The world’s largest brewer will not say how much it is spending for nearly six minutes of commercials, but industry sources estimate it is more than $50 million. That is up from the $42 million that Kantar Media said the brewer spent for four minutes of ad time last year. It is only part of the company’s strategy to recapture market share from craft beers and Mexican imports. Brendan Whitworth, the head of sales for U.S. arm Anheuser-Busch, told Reuters the company would retain its big, national campaigns but also push ahead with its new strategy of tailoring brand marketing to individual American cities. “The things we’ve started to work on this year, we’re starting to see real results. We’re looking forward to scaling up those localized programs even more,” he said. The Super Bowl’s huge and diverse audience has makers of cars, beer and other consumer goods scrambling to create eye-catching commercials that are sometimes more memorable than the game. Budweiser this year will bring back its iconic Clydesdale horses, while telling drinkers that the beer is produced with renewable energy from wind power. Bud Light has continued its mock medieval ad series.
Driven by the need to pay off some $100 billion from its 2016 purchase of rival SABMiller, the company, which is known for acquisitions and cost savings, has made top-line growth its priority. U.S. management, overhauled in late 2017, believes it is on course to rebound in the company’s biggest market. Part of that is the local-ad focus and fresh versions of 143-year-old staple Budweiser, as well as Bud Light – available now in an orange flavor. The two main brands make up 56 percent of its U.S. beer sales, according to market researc h c o m p a n y Euromonitor International. That is down from more than 60 percent in 2013. Whitworth, a former Marine, CIA officer and PepsiCo Inc director, said the goal is to boost the brand’s shares and eventually halt their sales decline. AB InBev has a 36.4 percent share of the U.S. beer market, according to Euromonitor, followed by Molson Coors and Constellation Brands. In general, mainstream lagers including Bud and Bud Light have fallen, while the shares of craft and imports have risen, according to market research group Nielsen. Drinkers have also shifted to wine and spirits. Executives at Heineken, the world’s second largest beer maker, have said brewers need to work together to win back drinkers. Industry leaders say there still is a space for mainstream beer, which is cheaper and less caloric than many crafts. “When (fans)are watching an NFL game, that’s a four
A souvenir sign is for sale in the gift shop of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S., March 2, 2017. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo) to five hour experience... I’m not sure it’s a craft moment,” said Jonnie Cahill, Heineken USA’s chief marketing officer. Given recent t r e n d s , Anheuser-Busch needs the equivalent of a ‘Hail Mary’ pass. Its share of beer sales in the United States, its biggest market, is set to have declined 0.50 percentage points in 2018 after a 0.75 drop in 2017. That may seem slight, but the trend is in the wrong direction.A return to growth is not imminent. “It’s a supertanker and it’s not going to turn on a sixpence. I think it’s going to be a slow journey,” said Trevor Stirling, a London-based beverage analyst at Bernstein Research. AB InBev’s share of the U.S. beer market has declined every year but one since its formation in 2008, when Belgium-based InBev bought America’s Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser has steadily fallen. Bud Light’s share last rose in 2012, when it rolled out an offshoot: Bud Light Lime-ARita, a margarita-flavored brew with double the alcohol
BCB announces 14 Player squad for Senior Female Inter-county Championship Despite the absence of West Indies Player Shemaine Campbelle, who is away representing the West Indies in Pakistan, the Berbice Cricket Board has announced a strong fourteen member squad for the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board Senior Female Inter-county Tournament. The Team would be led by West Indies left arm pacer Tremayne Smartt, while another West Indies Player Erva Giddings would serve as the vice captain. Level III Coach Winston Smith and Slyvia Autar would serve as Coach and Manager respectively. West Indies selectee Sheneeta Grimmond would lead the batting line up in the absence of Shemaine
Campbelle and Shabiki Gajnabi who would be leading the Guyana Under-19 Select Team in the same Tournament. Grimmond would receive support from National Players Melanie Henry, Sherica Campbelle, Marian Samaroo, Smartt, Giddings and Dian Prahalad. The strong bowling attack would be spear headed by the West Indies quartet of Smartt, Giddings, Subrina Munroe, Grimmond with support from off spinner Plaffiana Millington, medium pacer Sherica Campbelle and left arm spinner Dian Prahalad. The full team: 1. Tremayne Smartt 6. Marian Samaroo 11. Russhanna Lynch 2. Erva Giddings
7. Plaffiana Millington 12. Sherica Campbelle 3. Melanie Henry 8. Kimmone Thomas 13. Aleema Arokium 4. Sheneeta Grimmond 9. Subrina Munroe 14. Ashmini Munisar 5. Abigail Kishun 10. Dian Prahalad BCB President Hilbert Foster stated that the Berbice Team have been in training for over a month under the supervision of Coach Winston Smith and was fully prepared to defend their title. He however expressed disappointment that West Indies selectee Shabiki Gajnabi would not be able to represent the county due to her playing for the select Guyana Under-19 Team in the Tournament.
and calories of Bud Light. Despite the revival, Anheuser-Busch said it has learned that the company should not stray too far from a brand’s roots. “Those extensions, they didn’t necessarily reinforce the mother brand’s position,” Whitworth said.The brewer removed “Bud Light” from Lime-a-Rita cans this year.Last summer, it launched Bud Light Orange, brewed with orange peels. The product, with slightly more calories, is sweet and fruity, akin
to an orange soda with alcohol, some drinkers say. Whitworth said it was one of the industry’s most successful new products of 2018, boosting sales and margins and bringing in more female drinkers. The company hopes some Bud Light Orange drinkers will become regular Bud Light fans. Bud Light has partnerships with 28 of the 32 NFL teams, including this season’s finalists, the Los Angeles Rams and the Boston-based New England Patriots. But its marketing efforts with them have been modest to date, including special cans showing each team’s logo.Earlier this season, Bud Light focused on Cleveland, whose team, the Browns, was experiencing one of the longest losing streaks in the sport. When the Browns finally won, the brewer set up “victory fridges” in bars across the city. Bud Light’s share of core beer sales there grew as a result, Whitworth said. Citing another localized effort, Whitworth pointed to Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth largest city. Bud Light
offered free beer to fans of the Eagles when they won their first Super Bowl in 2018. This season the company unveiled a statue to commemorate the “Philly Special,” a trick play in which the quarterback turned receiver for a touchdown in the championship game. Whitworth said the approach led to Bud Light sales growth of 9 percent in Philadelphia in the first half of 2018. “They had an army of people handing out beer at the parade,” said Pete Ciarrocchi, chief of Chickie and Pete’s, a popular chain of sports bars in the Philadelphia area. The brewer’s U.S. arm is hoping the sales boost will help build long-term loyalty. In one potentially positive sign, Philadelphian Peter Rosa, who normally chooses regional craft brands such as Dogfish Head and Troeg, said he turned to Bud Light this season when watching his beloved Eagles. “I have become superstitious and will only drink Bud Light during Eagles games,” he said.
Windies seal series behind Campbelle, Dottin efforts KARACHI, Pakistan, CMC – Deandra Dottin belted a couple of sixes and a four as West Indies stunned Pakistan in the decisive Super Over, to win the second Twenty20 International and the three-match series with a match to spare here yesterday. The tourists had earlier clawed their way back into the contest in pursuit of 133 for victory, before Chinelle Henry (11 not out) and Afy Fletcher (one not out) scrambled two runs off the last delivery of the match, to level the scores. Behind Dottin’s muscle, the Windies gathered 18 runs off their six deliveries and then claimed two Pakistan
wickets inside the first three balls when they bowled, to pull off a dramatic win at Southend Club. It was Shemaine Campbelle who propelled the Windies run chase, top-scoring with 41 off 44 balls, while Kycia Knight struck 32 and opening partner Dottin, 22. West Indies got a measured start as the left-handed Knight and Dottin put on 30 off 33 deliveries for the first wicket. Dottin counted five fours in a 24-ball knock before becoming the first of left-arm spinner Anam Amin’s two wickets but Knight found an ally in Campbelle to add a further 54 for the second wicket.
W.D.C.A/ President’s Cup 50 overs final on tomorrow The final of the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) President’s Cup 50-over tournament is set for tomorrow at Joe Vieira Park. Independence A Sports Club will take on Mc Gill Super Stars from 09:30hrs. Independence A Sports Club will be led by Mahendra Dhanpaul and includes Safraz Esau, Vivian Buckles, Ceenauth Bisessar, Ewart Samuels, Vikash Dhaniram, Arshad Azim, Anand Bharat and Jagnarine Etwaroo. MC Gill Super Stars will come from; Sudesh Persaud, Travis Persaud, Troy Persaud, Shafiek Deen, Abdool Razack, Prahalad Singh, Daniel Basdeo and Balram Aron. The umpires for the fixture are Nandkumar Shivsankar and M. Ernest.
While Knight faced 30 balls and counted two fours and a six, Campbelle stroked four fours and a six in a 44ball stay at the crease. Knight’s departure in the 15th over triggered a slide where five wickets tumbled for 45 runs, before the late drama unfolded. Pakistan had earlier raised 132 for four off their 20 overs after choosing to bat, with captain Bismah Maroof topscoring with 31, opener Javeria Khan getting 26 and Nida Dar chipping in with 25 not out. Omaima Sohail fell without scoring in the first over but Javeria and Bismah put on a crucial 59 for the second wicket before Dar and Aliya Riaz, who smashed 23 not out off 13 balls, added 42 in an unbroken fifth wicket partnership. The final match of the historic series is set for the same venue tomorrow. Scores: PAKISTAN 132 for four off 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 31, Javeria Khan 26, Nida Dar 25 not out, Aliya Riaz 23 not out; Deandra Dottin 2-26). WEST INDIES 132 for six off 20 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 41, Kycia Knight 32, Deandra Dottin 22; Anam Amin 2-24).