Heineken USA has gone from being one of the few success stories in the beer industry here to being a brand that changes ad agencies every five minutes.
When i worked on Budweiser, Heineken was the enemy.
Bud drinkers would frequently ditch the brand in higher profile social situations like night clubs in favor of the green bottle from Amsterdam.
Because it was perceived as more sophisticated.
But that was before the A-B/InBev merger.
And now A-B has its own Heineken: Stella Artois.
Stella is a potential Heineken killer in this country.
It looks and feels more sophisticated and European.
Suddenly Heineken doesn’t look so hot anymore.
It feels a bit like a relic from the 90s.
And being perceived as “old” can be death for a beer brand.
At least that’s what I’m guessing is going on here.
