UB PROMOS FOR HEINEKEN BEER

United Breweries Ltd (UBL) is focussing on various areas like sports, music and food events to promote various beer brands, including Heineken beer, which was launched in India three years ago. The Bangalore-based firm, which sponsors six IPL teams, is also looking at various other sports like football and rugby for promoting its beer brands. "...Given the growing fan following that European football now enjoys in India, we decided to leverage our global partnership in India for the first time this year with a multi pronged activation program," UBL Senior Vice-President Marketing Samar Singh Sheikhawat told reporters here. Internationally, Heineken has been associated with the UEFA Champions League for seven years now. UBL had launched India-brewed Heineken from its brewery in Taloja, near Mumbai, in August 2011. "We expect the campaign to make the brand (Heineken) more salient and desirable among the young Indian consumers by leveraging a sport that they are increasingly relating to favourably," he added. The company, which spends around 16 per cent of its total annual marketing spend on IPL, is also looking to leverage other sports like rugby and James Bond movies for brand promotion. "Sports, music, fashion and food remain our most important areas for brand promotion...we have been associated with James Bond movies and in future also whenever there is a release, we would like to leverage it for brand salience," Sheikhawat said. When asked about the response Heineken has been receiving in the country, Sheikhawat said: "We doubled our sales in 2012-13 as compared to 2011-12...its the fastest growing brand in our portfolio." He added that both Kingfisher and Heineken brands were doing well in the Indian market. "It's our stated strategy to dominate both mild and strong beer at every price point in every market," Sheikhawat said. The Bangalore-based firm today announced the winner of its "HeinekenSocial Reporter', who will fly to London for the finals of this year's UEFA Champions League.