Abstract
Our marketing plan examines the introduction of a new beer on the French market. Guinness has recently released a new product to appeal to a younger demographic than the usual Guinness customer. This new product called Guinness Black Lager is a beverage that is easier to drink than our original product, because of its lighter and smoother taste. The product has been launched in three different countries so far and we believe its introduction on the French market would create great opportunities for our company. Initially, we will focus on selling our product within supermarkets along with the original Guinness that is not currently well represented in the store aisles.
The alcoholic beverages market in France has been decreasing over the last 30 years, especially since the government has increased restrictions related to alcohol consumption for youth and in public places. Therefore, people tend to buy their alcohol in supermarkets rather than consuming it in public locations (pubs, bars, etc.). Moreover, the fall in French consumption has mainly affected the wine and spirits sector while the beer sector has remained steady over time. In fact, the special premium beer segment in which our lager will be positioned, has increased over the last couple of years in terms of volume and revenue in supermarkets within a difficult economical environment.
Within this segment, there are several competitors and the market is almost overcrowded already, however the Guinness brand is renowned in the world and in France as well. It is well known for being unique and the introduction of a new Guinness product will be associated with this unique feature. In addition, the new Guinness Black Lager has no competitors of its kind, therefore, it will be distinctive among other beer products. French males aged between 18 and 28 drink beer more compared to stronger alcohol or wine. They want something new, different, fresh and special and we believe this product will suit their expectations. We are targeting young male beer drinkers as they do not have enough money to spend like the older audience; our product is in the right category and will feature a pricing strategy similar to special premium beers.
The release of our product will be accompanied by important promotional campaigns to ensure the success and visibility of our new Black Lager. With the use of several communication channels (radio, newspaper, in-pub events, ads) we will announce the introduction of the new drink on the French market, and in the meantime, we will increase French awareness regarding the availability of Guinness products in the supermarkets. The product will be sourced just like our current Guinness product: from Ireland and our world famous brewery St James. Kronenbourg, which is highly knowledgeable of supermarket distribution methods, will be tasked with the distribution of our new product; this company already works with us for the original Guinness product. Considering all those aspects, we can expect good revenues with minimal investments because the product already exists, the risk is therefore limited in terms of costs with high potential for success.
