Guest Post: An European view of Beer ads in Asia!

This is a guest post by Jonathan Rudd. A UK national now based in Singapore working for a major multi-national, who shares his observations on one of his passions: beer


Tiger beer. Have you heard of it? Probably. Have you tried it?


In fact if you drink beer, what motivated you the last time you switched brands? Perhaps it was image? You wanted to try a new exotic beer to elevate you from the mass brands like Carling / Fosters? Packaging? Curiosity? 


I’m going to take a few moments now to offer my thoughts on the brand "Tiger" and how, despite their exotic, premium positioning in Europe (£4.20 a pint) they are facing a similar problem to the mass brands like Carling and Fosters in the UK and trying to elevate and drive the brand upwards in the Asian market.


Throughout Asia, status is everything, and luxury brands like Gucci are admired and highly desirable. This attitude also extends to beer. For example, I was in a bar in Manila sipping my bottle of domestic San Miguel Pilsner (a bargain 70 peso`s / about £1) while some girls were drinking BODDINGTON`s (slowly, and shuddering after every sip) and at 320 peso`s a piece! Despite not enjoying the experience (evident from the post sip grimace) Boddington’s has a status in the market as it is only available in exclusive outlets, has heritage and tradition and exudes a sense of international sophistication and therefore status. 


Like San Miguel in Philippines, Tiger faces the same challenge in their domestic market, and due to the much higher percentage of wealthy individuals in Singapore it`s a much bigger problem. Tiger tends to be associated with groups of old men who sit in coffee shops where they can get 3 big bottles for 15 SGD. At the same time, in Singapore’s upmarket bars they are demanding the same amount for one pint. But there are also a goring numbers of international brands entering the market charging a similar price, but positioning based on hundreds of years of heritage and unique brewing processes linked to certain crops in Europe. Tiger are seeing young affluent consumers switching to these brands in droves. 

In a bid to counter this, Tiger are capitalising on their strong export business and have created a campaign of ads that harnesses the big / core idea that young and "in the know" Europeans socialise with Tiger. They are hoping that if they can convince local drinkers that is Europeans, who come from the same place as the foreign brands stealing Tiger’s share, drink Tiger they can elevate Tigers social standing and credentials. An example of the outdoor poster ad is shown here.

What do you think? I see the linkage between the core idea, the visual dramatisation and the key copy words (Here's to living it up. Here's to Tiger time). But the creative execution requires a lot of work. An outdoor poster ad has to have  real stopping power and clarity of message. Here, the key copy words are barely readable, the floating packshot and glass full of beer tucked up in the top right corner unnoticeable. The ad is actually trying to demonstrate a variety of social occasions where (mainly) Europeans are `living it up` with Tiger, but there is just far too much going on. It`s cluttered, difficult to navigate and easy to ignore. To reference Gary`s post on 15 March on what makes a great ad, I think this ad is not engaging or intriguing. However I think the core idea is a good one and if executed differently has the potential to make Singaporeans think about Tiger in a new and fresh way. 

Now take a moment to compare this ad to another OOH beer execution, this time from Suntory in Japan:

The core idea doesn’t seem to be anything too creative. But from the talent, wardrobe and photography we know the brand is looking to personify itself as refined, distinguished and artistic. The dramatization of the appetizing golden liquid on the greyscale background with the light shining through the glass that seamlessly navigates the audience to the packshot in the bottom right is as impactful as it is simple. The talent is a famous actor used to personify the brand values. Whilst this adds to the image, what impresses me with this ad is the standout, simplicity and ultimately desirability. Not just in the brand values the ad is communicating to me, but also because the drink looks delicious! You can guess the first beer I ordered that evening...

Both of these ads are part of much bigger campaigns, and I am evaluating them as standalone creative, and I don’t have access to share or sales numbers. But as individual executions, for me they are worlds apart. The Tiger ad has client interference written all over it......maybe that is why so busy and cluttered as they tried to get everything in - weakening the interesting idea.

Finally, I’ll leave you with another execution again from Japan; this time from Kirin. The on-pack copy says ‘for your happy home, a delicious, malty brew brings smiles to your table.’ Make of that what you will....

Kirin Beer Ad - Japan

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