"German" provocation in the Russian territory

In the hot summer of 2007 in Russia, on open spaces of boundless Siberia a national German orchestra has lost the way! Elegant and cheerful, naive and ruddy Germans in short Bavarian shorts have been noticed at once in several cities of Siberia. They tried to explain the purpose of their "intrusion" to local residents in broken Russian. Regional Russian mass-media have quickly found out, what the matter was. It appears, musicians- amateurs have arrived in cold wood edge in searches of exotic Russian dried small fish “vobla” and local beer BagBier. They have arrived and lost the way …

Actually all this cheerful and ridiculous history was initiated by brewing corporation InBev. It is thought up and organized for aggressive promotion of local brand BagBier. In conditions of the sharpest competition on the huge market of beer of Russia all means are good, especially frank marketing provocation.

Recently so-called "provocative marketing" became the most fashionable means of promotion in Russia. The most different brands resort to it. From Actimel by Danone and Lipton by Unilever up to local shops of mobile communication "Euroset". Beer BagBier did not become an exception. This low-price mark of beer conducted sound, but an ordinary marketing life since 1994. Beer BagBier was positioned as a qualitative Russian drink for people without special claims.

Couple of years ago brand-command of Russian InBev has gone on a courageous marketing step. Beer BagBier during the massed advertising on national Russian TV has been anew presented to consumers as German on the spirit and quality. Pairs creative rollers and the changed design of a bottle have sufficed, that sales of beer have promptly gone upwards. National distribution and new 5-liter (!) PET-package have made BagBier the appreciable player oversaturated of marks of the Russian beer market. Activity has not remained not noticed and professionals. Mark BagBier has received the award of the Russian management of competition Effie.

The scale integrated project "Das ist BagBier" in seven cities of Siberia is called to fix success of the mark. The program is developed by communication agency Ace Target under the order of company InBev. Consumer and media-activity will be prolonged all years months 2007. By means of bright street animations, stimulation of sales in trading radio-advertising consumers get acquainted with the updated shape of beer BagBier. The advertising message of mark BagBier remains former: it is unessential to go to Germany to try the present beer.

Each participant of action BagBier receives a card of creative competition besides gifts. The question on which it is necessary to answer, too looks provocative: "Why it is better in Siberia, than in Germany?". Authors of the best answers will be invited to original show BagBier the Barbecue.

The project of beer BagBier evidently illustrates a degree of heat in the beer market of Russia. Here ten years rates of growth of sales are estimated in two-place figures. For several years already branch experts appear the finished pessimists in the front of figures of growth of consumption. They usually name phenomenally hot weather of the last 5 years justifying the underestimated forecasts. But any expert of marketing clearly understands that a principle of growth is a phenomenally high degree of advertising activity. The brewing companies borrow the top lines in a rating of the largest advertisers on national TV and in the outdoor advertising. Huge money are spent for the firm trading equipment and decoration of points of sales. Sponsor's actions of the beer companies and consumer lotteries force to sigh with envy of the company of other sectors FMCG.

On this background any marketing provocations are not looked any more excessive. In fact they solve the most important task - is to block the information noise created by competitors. Let it be for only one rather hot Siberian summer.

Information: InBev is the largest world manufacturer of beer. The company can be reckoning among oldest company in Russia. The first steps here InBev (then Sun Interbrew) has made in 1993. Today at 10 Russian factories of the company person works about 5 thousand. InBev is one of the leading brewing companies in Russia. At the same time in sales of the products of InBev is rather high the share of the international premium-brands. InBev owns international trade marks: Stella Artois, Becks, Brahma, Hoegaarden, Staropramen, Leffe, Lowenbrau. Now the Russian market is actually divided between the largest international brewing groups: InBev, Heineken, SabMiller, BBH (it is supervised by companies Carlsberg Breweries and Scottish & Newcastle).

Ace Target is the Russian communications agency. It specializes on target consumer communications and programs of improvement of distribution. The Russian offices of InBev, Ferrero Rosche, Universal Pictures, Tetra Pak are among clients of Ace Target. The agency is a part of communications group ATCG.