Five beers – each offering a different experience

According to Ingo Nassau, chairman of the German POS Marketing Association, “emotionalisation” of brands and creating an experience linked to the product are the two main current trends in POS advertising. Ingo Nassau also pointed out at the POS marketing conference held in Düsseldorf during the international fair, in September, that the above trends are reflected in sales. According to the POS Marketing Association, production capacity exceeds demand by 20 percent, while there also 50 percent more brands and 40 percent more mediums in the German market than would be ideal. An interesting case study was presented by Jörg M. Diegmann, from Bitburger breweries, which is the third largest in Germany, with an overall market share of 8 percent and 14 percent in the premium segment. Concentration has been intense in this sector, while sales have been stagnating. Price competition is also getting increasingly intensive. In his presentation, he illustrated the various experiences they created for different brands. Strong communication is the number one priority for the Bitburger group, while sympathy comes second. Multi-packs in line with consumer requirements are the third among priorities. Promotional activities rank fourth. Bitburger has a central trade marketing department focusing on POS marketing. Sales and marketing work closely together, with frequent promotional campaigns. For the Football World Cup in 2006 and the European Cup in 2008, a special system had been developed for POS marketing. Bitburger is an official sponsor of the German Football Association and FIFA, which has helped it to sell more last year than the combined sales of their four other brands. When a brand is “emotionalised”, emotion and visual experience are used to influence the consumer instead of price. Jörg Diegmann played the different advertising spots made for their different brands to illustrate the difference between the worlds created for these. The difference between these spots could not have been greater. König Pilsner is the king of beers like Boris Becker used to be the king of tennis. Köstritzer uses the sensual beauty of a woman to seduce consumers. In the poster made for Licher Pilsner, closeness to nature is emphasised with a bird feeding its young. The idea used for Wernesgrüner Pils is similar, with a tree and flowers in a green field.