Big beer brands are being urged to target marketing at the supermarket shoppers who actually buy the beer – women.
Although 72.8% of the beer sold in supermarkets is bought by women [Kantar Worldpanel 2010] – typically for husbands or boyfriends – mainstream brands were doing little to target these shoppers, said marketing agency Life.
The current promotiondriven strategies of major beer brands meant most female shoppers would opt for best deal, said Life managing director David Poole.
“Beer marketing is malefocused, typically around sport or socialising, so although men may have a lot of emotional investment in a brand there is none for a female shopper when she is in store,” he said. “Women have no brand preference, but know there are a number of brands their man would find acceptable – so they buy whichever of those is on the best deal.”
What was needed, said Poole, was a subtle shift in marketing strategy.
“No director of a mainstream beer brand would be willing to change the main focus of their marketing to women and risk eroding the equity of their brand, so something discreet would be required.”
A key aim, Poole added, would be getting women who might write just the word ‘beer’ on their shopping lists to have a specific brand in mind. This should be addressed as early as possible in the decisionmaking process, he said, through online or offline direct marketing. Such activity should also be supported with female-focused rewards, such as loyalty points that could be exchanged for coupons, vouchers or spa days.
The beer market had changed dramatically over recent years as sales shifted from the on-trade to the off-trade, said Mintel senior drinks analyst Jonny Forsyth, and beer companies had been slow to respond to the change in shopper base.
“In many ways, these suggestions make sense, and it would be good for brewers to think along new lines,” he added.
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