Magazine: A beer-friendly summer

Last year the Hungarian beer market expanded and if the weather will be nice and the tax burden doesn’t increase, 2016 can be a good year too, as there will be many televised sporting events (Uefa Euro 2016, Olympic Games) and music festivals. Hungary’s beer market is highly concentrated and according to Zita Szederkényi, corporate affairs specialist of Dreher Breweries Zrt., last year brought a two-digit sales growth in the premium and super premium segments. Péter Unyatinszki, trade development & category manager of Borsodi Brewery Kft. told our magazine that their Borsodi brand is responsible for the majority of volume sales, but in the summer months flavoured Friss products sell well too.

Pécsi Brewery’s marketing manager Ádám Szabó explained to us that rapidly adapting to consumer needs is the driving force of development in the beer market. He added that in the radler category citrus and Hungarian-grown fruit flavours dominate (sour cherry, apple, elder). Márta Pálfalvi, corporate relations and communication director of HEINEKEN Hungária Breweries Zrt. informed us that the popularity of Czech beers keeps growing in Hungary – this is the reason why the company decided to launch the Krusovice brand.

Consumers are open to new solutions – packaging, size, etc. – appearing in the market. At the moment about 65 percent of beer is sold in cans, the share of returnable glass bottles is 20-25 percent, 10-15 percent is draught beer and 3 percent of beer is sold in PET bottles. This year Borsodi came out with a new bottle design after 10 years. Dreher products – with the exception of the classic Dreher – also got a new, more dynamic and informative look.

Artisan or craft beers form their own segment in the beer market. Mr Szabó explained to us that their artisan beers’ share from total consumption is 2-3 percent and their expansion is limited by at least 3 factors: 1. the production capacity of these small breweries, 2. a large proportion of these beers are unpasteurised, so they can only be consumed for a short period of time, 3. they cost about 25-35 percent more than the lagers of large breweries. However, the craft beer trend is still going strong. Dreher put the Pilsner Urquell tank beer on the market as a reaction to artisan beers’ popularity.

Ms Pálfalvi opines that major sporting events, watched by millions on television, are the perfect occasion for popularising beer. Borsodi will set up fan zones all over Hungary, places where beer and sport lovers can watch football and the Olympic Games together. Pécsi Brewery joined forces with 300,000-member online football community TrollFoci. Dreher is the official beer of the Sziget Festival and the brewery will also organise the DreherFest this year too. Heineken’s experience is that summer promotion campaigns play a vital role in sales. In April they launched a new communication platform for their Soproni brand, focusing on the characteristics and values we Hungarians share.

Dreher’s view is that the beer market is exceptionally innovative, therefore consumers love to try innovative products such as Pilsner Urquell, Dreher tank beer, the new Kingswood flavour, Kozel Dark draught beer and D24 with added vitamin. After last year’s success they have made a change and Cold Hop Dreher is now brewed with Calypso hop. This summer unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell will be available in many places, so that numerous consumers can experience what a pint of fresh Pilsner Urquell really means.

Borsodi not only had a new bottle designed for the Borsodi beer, but the Friss fruit-flavoured portfolio also went through an overhaul this spring, looking younger and fresher in those hot summer months. In the Borsodi brand’s communication the focus is on knowing men and knowing what is important for them. The main communication channels are television and the points of sale. This year Borsodi is trying to strengthen the brand with prize games, fan zones and sponsoring sports events.

Pécsi Brewery’s real innovation has been repositioning itself, taking a place between craft breweries and multinational ones, as Hungary’s first regionally and strong brewery that is known in other parts of the country too. They are proud of their 170 years of tradition and the special brewing method they use. It is very important for the company to base their emotional messages on a safe, rationalistic background. //