TMCnet News
Star Lite... Connecting With Consumer Through Music(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EIGHT months after the Nigerian Breweries introduced Star Lite as an extension of its iconic brand - Star, the company has explored various communication mix, especially entertainment to connect the new product with its target market. Nothing gives brand builders sleepless nights like building a new brand. Like every new thing, the promoters are expected to come out with an acceptable name, logo and relevant strategies to introduce it into the market. That was the situation eight months ago, when Nigerian Breweries entered the market with Star lite. Because of the persistent failure of many new brands at the point of entrance, not a few people discarded it as a misadventure. However, as a company that is on top of the game, NB showed from the beginning that it knew the right cord to strike. Having successfully established Star Larger as the premium brand in the market, the company massively followed the existing template and introduced fresh techniques to create aura around its new offering. Today, the brand has, within few months, moved from the infant stage into mature age. Among other things that have worked for the brand, the introduction of Africa's first mobile music machine, used to support it still stands as a major reason for its success. The new product, at the launch eight months ago, attracted varying comments from market watchers. While a section of the market hailed the decision as a genuine strategy to enter a new segment for more growth and higher margins, another set of analysts dismissed it as a misadventure. Most of those who shared the latter view thought it would be difficult for the two brands to grow along each other. But to the handlers of the brand, who disclosed that the company engaged in extensive research before unveiling the product, the decision was a genuine response to the yearnings of Nigerian consumers. Speaking at the launch event, Marketing Director, NB, Walter Drenth, said the introduction of Star Lite had reaffirmed the commitment of the company to innovation. "Star continues to set the trend in innovation. This is just the beginning. There's so much more in store for 2014 and we will be announcing them in the most unpredictable ways," he said. The new offering, he said, is a line extension of Star lager and brewed with 100 percent natural ingredients; the finest malted barley, high quality hops, and best quality water; as such, has fewer calories compared with other standard lager beers. "Lite implies fewer calories," Drenth said. "This beer is for modern and social gentlemen who like to stand out and lead an active lifestyle. It's a cool innovation we at Nigerian Breweries are quite proud of, and confident our consumers will appreciate," he said. Beyond the argument that it could be difficult to position the two similar products, some analysts had written-off the new beer, simply because past attempts by a few brand owners to create extensions had failed. Reacting to this, the company's, Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr. Kufre Ekanem insisted that it was wrong for critics to base their arguments on fallacious premises. "We are introducing the new product based on the feedback from the market. At Nigerian Breweries, we don't just hit the market but we do our research before entering. As far as I'm concerned, the company has developed a long-term marketing strategy to push the brand. We shouldn't forget too that Nigerian consumers, who demanded for it, will accept it," he had said. While it may be difficult to predict that Star Lite will be an instant success in the market, nobody can deny the fact that the name 'Star' will be a good launch pad for the new offering. Experiences over the years have shown that an established product's brand name is always a plus for a new item in the same product category. Coca Cola and Pepsi present two perfect examples, having explored the strategy to sell Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi respectively. In Nigeria, the name 'Star' is a household name with lots of positive attributes. If the promoters of Star Lite know how to go about positioning the new product, the already blossomed profile of the iconic 'Star' will be an advantage. Meanwhile as common in most line extensions, Nigerian Breweries might have noticed strong growth opportunities in a particular segment of the market and willing to fill the gap. This was briefly touched at the launch when it was declared that the new entrant was meant for young men and women between the age of 18 and 34. It was also revealed that like Star Lager, 'Star Lite' contains no additives and preservatives, which makes it a healthy offering for all health conscious consumers. Copyright The Guardian. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). |