Branding: Foster's takes global rebrand drive to India

The relaunch also aims to renew the Australian brand's focus on quality in production, marketing and sales.

India is one of the early markets in the region where the relaunch is being rolled out as competition in the beer and spirits sector heats up.

Pradeep Gidwani, managing director of Foster's India, said the change was not solely linked to India's competitive activity, but was a global initiative, which kicked off in the UK early this year. "We took (account) of the recognition our brand has been receiving on the quality front and made that active as part of our communication effort along with new packaging," said Gidwani.

Highlighting these aspects, Richard Scully, managing director of Foster's Brewing International, said: "We know Foster's is up there with the best in the world; our four gold medals for the Best Lager at the prestigious Brewing Industry International Awards tell us that.

"So we decided it was time to enhance Foster's look and feel, to better communicate that premium value to our beer-loving consumers.

"Research shows that recall for Foster is in the top tier of beer brands globally. In Foster's new packaging, we've retained the strength of Foster's current look, but enhanced it to increase consumer appeal, convey premium value and more actively communicate Foster's Australian heritage."

As part of the change, the pack uses a deeper blue behind the Foster's logo, premium gold banding, and the logo is embossed to ensure stronger shelf presence.

"The winning design is the result of intense consumer testing, which showed it scored highly on preference, shelf standout and overall appeal," Sculley said.

In India, Foster's is looking at developing the market, which today is seeing an influx of international brands as well as aggressive plays by domestic marketers. Foster's was launched in July 1998, and has annual sales of around two million cases, with market shares ranging from five to 28 per cent across different states.

To support its new look, the company is launching an extensive on-ground effort to educate food and beverage managers, consumers and the industry about "good quality beer". It also continues to leverage its association with Formula One and cricket.