Heineken & 1664: Segmentation, Positioning & Target

"A brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product's attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history, reputation and the way it's advertised; a brand is also defined by the consumer's impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience." David Ogilvy

 

Heineken

Heineken focuses on a large segment: all adult consumers. The brand has also opted for a marketing built on the brand's history. Therefore it sells a traditional beer made ​​by a knowledge handed down from "father to son", a beer worldwide known for its taste and which is refreshing.   

 

 

Source: Youtube, Heneken_walk in a fridge

Through this commercial, Heineken positioned as the mind shifted, innovative, creative and enjoyable good-time beer, portrays its drinkers as fun, successful and sociable, revealing thereby subtly its main target: successful, middle class men. 

As a matter of fact, the website itself pinpoints three key product attributes: naturalness, sensory, ease, gathered in their ad, aimed for potential consumers who live by these ideologies. 

As nowadays, Heineken drinkers are not only men anymore, they also adress through a diffentiated mass market strategy, the young "in" population, with a new packaging, and women, offering them a new format.

 

Source: Heineken

Heineken positioning statement *:

"For successful, middle class men, Heineken is the beer that offers an enjoyable good-time." 

*according to the class course

Sources: Heineken.fr, oursocialmedia.fr, lefigaro.fr

1664

"1664 combines elegance expression of creative, inspiring, educated but not pompous, nor taken seriously as this legendary product. I dare say that this is a purely French elegance that fits with the spirit chic "pop". Mr Christian Lacroix (1664)

With the same segmentation as Heineken: all adult consumers with a differentiated mass market according to the target, introducing to the market: 

- 1664

- 1664 millénium

- 1664 gold

- 1664 blanc 

- "un instant pression"

Combining creativity, authenticity and excellence, 1664 is positioned as the art of pleasure of French lifestyle and taste. Its main target is: townsmen over 35 years old, beer lovers, upper middle class men.

Source: Brasseries Kronembourg

1664 positioning statement *:

For urban upper middle class men over 35 years, 1664 is the beer that offers “the French taste”

* According to the class course 

Sources: strategies.fr, brasseries kronembourg, prodimarques

Bull eyes analysis

As we can see, there are points of differentiation between the two brands, as a strategic moves the thing that brands should do, is copy the other brand point of difference so that the points of difference will cancel each other out by becoming points of parities. 

So 1664 should choose to distribute itself in nightclubs, have a small bottle size, evolve and communicate more on sustainable development of its brand.

As well, Heineken should play on different beer categories and flavours to respond to different targets, such as women and young adults.

Brand Mantra of Heineken & 1664