Kirin switches to product sell

<P>TAIPEI: Japanese brewer Kirin has reverted to a 'product sell' approach for its flagship beer Kirin Ichiban, in an attempt to reverse falling market share. </P> <P><BR>The move is part of a relaunch for Kirin Ichiban in Taiwan, which has been refocused on a younger 20- to 30-omething male audience.</P> <P><BR>"We want to pull Kirin back to the basics," said Roy Soetanto, GM of Publicis Taiwan, the agency that assisted Kirin on the relaunch. "It has a very good product, but we never communicated Kirin's finer taste in the past."</P> <P><BR>Kirin, along with rival beers such as Heineken, Taiwan Beer and Tsing Tao, had opted for an emotional push in the past, in Kirin's case showing friends bonding in natural settings, such as a hike. </P> <P><BR>The new Publicis ads show local celebrity Chang Chen and his real-life friends dining out with Kirin as an accompaniment, thereby building Kirin's image as a drink for friends, while introducing a new emphasis on how well it goes with food.</P> <P><BR>"The main message is to communicate 'all the best things start with Kirin'," Soetanto said. "The beer, the best food, the best moments."<BR>Chang was chosen as a representative of the new drinker Kirin wants to attract -- a younger discerning bon viveur, Soteanto added.<BR>The brewer has also redesigned its packaging for Kirin Ichiban and overhauled the website as part of the relaunch.</P>