Abstract:

As a global company, the Heineken portfolio (Sol, Desperadoes and Tiger) use mass communication channels. The danger of this strategy is that it ignores social and cultural diversity in locations where much of its drinkers' culture is shaped: cities. Ireland is becoming a more urbanised population (62%) and it is important for Heineken to recognise that even in small countries like Ireland, different cities have very different personalities, presenting different brand opportunities for the Heineken portfolio. Cities are where culture gets formed and where brands need to foster a deeper brand connection to cut through and create meaningful connections with people. The overall research aim was to identify the cultural essence of each of the four main Irish cities (Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast) so that the portfolio of brands could be embedded seamlessly into each city's social fabric. This would allow the HIL brands to connect better with consumers in their social context resulting in better targeted activity and a higher return on investment (versus a more mass country wide brand strategy).