WE’RE AB INBEV, BREWER OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST BEERS, LIKE STELLA ARTOIS, CORONA AND BUD. READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW THE ITALIAN ON TRADE TEAM BROUGHT BACK THE ICONIC STELLA ARTOIS DRAUGHT MASTERS COMPETITION IN ITS FIRST EVER DIGITAL EDITION.
We had a look behind the scenes of the launch of Stella Artois Draught Masters Italy 2021, with Elena, Trade Marketing Field Italy, working on delivering premium experiences that drive volume growth and brand health, Borja, Head of On Trade Italy, part of this years’ Draught Masters jury and Sergio, Trade Marketing Manager Italy.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE BACKGROUND OF STELLA ARTOIS DRAUGHT MASTERS ITALY 2021?
ELENA: We revived a project that made history and went around the world starting in 1997. We involved around 500 restaurants, bars and pubs, and consequently activated the entire HoReCa (Hotels Restaurants and Cafes) chain, from our wholesalers to their agents and beer specialists, emphasizing and affirming that the first rule of Stella Artois is quality and the execution of its perfect service through the 9-Step Pouring Ritual.
HOW IMPORTANT WAS LAUNCHING DRAUGHT MASTERS IN ITALY?
ELENA: We’re now firmly positioned in the premium segment of the market, making the excellence of Stella Artois clear to our stakeholders, giving great visibility to our customers and future brand ambassadors. We succeeded in rebooting the competition. At the same time, we trained and informed our clients not only about the brand and product, but also about the microeconomic context of the HoReCa sector through speeches by professionals.
HOW DOES DRAUGHT MASTERS IMPACT STELLA ARTOIS’ AGENDA?
BORJA: My team and I work to bring our premium beers to the best venues in the country and to their consumers. In the past 15 months, our industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and from the very beginning our HoReCa team was focused on supporting our customers in these turbulent times. We wanted to stay close to them, give them hope and add back positive energy to the HoReCa sector. That’s how we came up with the idea of creating the first Draught Masters in digital version. We wanted to train the bars and restaurants that decided to bet on Stella Artois to offer their customers a unique experience: enjoying a Stella Artois on tap, served following its historical 9-Step Pouring Ritual. By doing so, we would help them increase the loyalty of their customers and attract new ones by differentiating their venue and their offering from the crowd.
So when a customer bets on Stella Artois it’s a big responsibility for us, and we want to live up to the expectations. The whole AB InBev team values the trust of our customers, and we hope to share a Stella Artois very soon!
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED?
SERGIO: We were able to digitally reinvent a competition that has always been held live – a big challenge as well as a great opportunity. The activity has benefited our consumers and thanks to the online courses, we have educated on how to tap Stella Artois in the correct way and have created a large word-of-mouth, which will help us spread the word in order to keep the level of quality and execution as high as we expect. This activity was amplified through different communication channels, with a specific focus on beer lovers and beer professionals.