SINGAPORE: Lowe Lintas & Partners has scooped the San Miguel
business of local distributor Pacific Beverages, which wants to enhance
the brand's position to capitalise on the growing taste for imported
beers.
Pacific Beverages had previously used creative work that had been
developed in the Philippines. But its marketing manager Mark Wilson said
the time had come to develop local creative because the brand was being
positioned differently in Singapore. "In its home market, San Miguel is
respected as the national brand and it has such a strong position that
it can be promoted in a low-key manner, whereas in Singapore it faces so
much heavy competition it needs to have an aggressive ad campaign."
Wilson isaid he was looking for a bold positioning in the premium
segment, but one that ensured the brand would also retain its mass
appeal. "We're promoting it as a premium product but have ensured the
pricing and distribution are such that it is available to anyone who
wants it."
Addison James, Lowe Lintas Singapore CEO, said: "It's a challenger brand
here in Singapore and taking on Tiger should be interesting."
Imported beers have experienced a steady increase in sales volume at the
expense of local beers. Last year, imported beer volume was up 5.2 per
cent, while local beers were down 8.5 per cent, according to the
Singapore department of statistics. San Miguel faces stiff competition
from the three established beer local and imported beer brands - Tiger,
Anchor and Carlsberg.
Demand for imported beers has grown partly because of the expatriate
population and growing demand from Singaporeans who had lived overseas,
said Wilson.
