SOUTH AFRICA – Heineken-owned beer brand Amstel Lager has unveiled a new contemporary packaging design, which debuts on South African shelves in April.
Amstel said that while the packaging is being refreshed to be “stylish and more appealing to consumers,” the beer won’t change its formula or age-old brewing technique.
The new packaging design includes changes in color and design, packaging material and bottle labels.
The green and gold packaging has been replaced with a gold and white design, and the shrink-wrap packaging has been replaced with more eco-aware carton packaging.
The bottle labels have been changed from pressure-sensitive labels (PSL) or self-adhesive labels to paper labels.
Boipelo Malao, senior brand manager at Amstel Lager said: “The new packaging reflects Amstel’s commitment to innovation and growth while honoring its perfectly balanced and refreshing taste.
“Our aim is to make the Amstel brand more relevant and appealing to our modern South African consumer, without compromising on the taste credentials and quality that have made us a favorite among beer lovers nationally.”
In a highly competitive market keeping up with the packaging and marketing trends is an important part of giving beverages the edge that is required for that crucial conversion, and packaging is the final opportunity for a brand to visually convey its message and appeal to the consumer.
Beer packaging design is often seen as unimportant when compared to the taste. While taste is vital, consumers will go through a list of judgments before your beer reaches their lips.
According to Marketing Profs, one-third of consumer purchase choices are based on packaging.
Last year, Heineken introduced an update of its Green Grip, a cardboard holder for multipacks of cans in the UK.
The move is part of the company’s sustainability program ‘Brew a Better World’ and its commitment to finding innovative solutions to design out waste and introduce packaging that has less impact on the environment.
The new design follows Green Grip’s initial launch in August 2020, which replaced plastic can holders with a 100% recyclable cardboard topper.
The Green Grip offers consumers the same ease of use as traditional plastic can rings but without the need for single-use plastic.
Since the launch of the Green Grip into the market, Heineken UK has removed 336 tonnes of single-use plastic from its supply chain, including the supply chain of its customers.
On top of this, since the end of 2021, the company has removed all consumer-facing secondary plastic packaging from its UK production sites.
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