‘We’re no longer in our shoppers’ heads 24/7’: Heineken’s Rebecca Haigh on emblem fact tests

I learn English and Psychology at college. I used to be within the house of promoting, development on my psychology level: fascinated by why other folks do issues and the way you’ll affect others. I were given a role at Treasury Wine Estates as an Events assistant to begin with – it was once an actual baptism of fireplace, with some precious courses round stakeholder control and a focus to element, that I nonetheless draw on nowadays.

It was once an Australian wine corporate with a small workforce in the United Kingdom, however a part of a bigger trade the world over. They had been excellent at coaching and supplying you with an working out of the fundamentals in advertising and that turned into my advertising apprenticeship, and I discovered so much. I had a few nice managers who in point of fact took some bets on me and helped me transfer in the course of the ranks.

After 10 years, I moved to Bacardi Brown Forman running as senior emblem supervisor for Jack Daniels within the off-trade. It gave me an actual business lens, a lot nearer to the execution and shoppers. I used to be desperate to have extra strategic, end-to-end enter in my emblem control, so I moved to Heineken UK.

When I arrived, I used to be senior emblem supervisor for John Smith’s and Newcastle Brown Ale – each superb manufacturers. I believe John Smith’s is most likely nonetheless my favourite emblem. I used to be given actual freedom to paintings on what’s extensively thought to be to be a British vintage.

After a couple of years running on the ones two, I moved into innovation, which had at all times been a space that I used to be interested by. As entrepreneurs, we have now this nice alternative to in point of fact perceive our shoppers deeply after which attempt to supply answers to their wishes.

I’ve been in innovation for the remaining 8 years. My function expanded in 2019 to incorporate strategic making plans and insights. It is a huge, wide function with a workforce of 20 other folks unfold throughout a couple of purposes and cut up between London and Edinburgh. We’re on the middle of the trade, answering questions about shoppers, marketplace forecasting and emblem efficiency, whilst additionally shaping the long-term time table with innovation.

Heineken Holding’s product portfolio for the United Kingdom

What is the be offering at Heineken?

We have a couple of manufacturers throughout beer and cider with over 25% price percentage in the United Kingdom. These are one of the vital UK’s maximum enjoyed manufacturers, starting from Foster’s, Heineken and Birra Moretti in beer to Strongbow and Old Mout in cider. As shoppers’ wishes evolve we’ve presented new manufacturers together with Cruzcampo Spanish Lager and Inch’s Apple Cider. We’re additionally beginning to transfer into ‘beyond beer,’ which is the whole lot from ready-to-drink to grownup comfortable beverages.

In addition to our emblem portfolio, we have now a super pub property. Star Pubs accommodates 2,400 pubs unfold throughout the United Kingdom. They supply a novel trying out flooring for our inventions and also are an excellent spot to come back along side our colleagues and buddies.

Heineken Holding’s income in 2023 was once €36.4bn. What does this imply in your workforce within the subsequent 12 months?

Heineken has a in point of fact robust place in the United Kingdom marketplace and globally. We’ve been rising percentage over the past 12 months, however there’s at all times extra paintings to do, particularly once we take a look at the world of innovation. We consider that innovation is a key lever to assist us unencumber long run class expansion.

My workforce center of attention on how we seek for those alternatives. How are we able to fulfil extra client wishes and concurrently power penetration and harness the facility of our manufacturers? I’d say that we’re in a excellent place within the class, however expansion isn’t a given, and you wish to have to stay topping up that leaky bucket.

The Heineken UK workforce

Could you let us know how your workforce is structured?

Our general advertising division is composed of circa 80 other folks. That’s cut up throughout innovation and insights, which is my workforce, our beer and cider emblem groups, advertising activation and media. We paintings carefully with our company companions, however have additionally discovered it necessary to construct specialist capacity like media and insights in-house. With that fashion, we’re in a position to upskill the entire division around the other advertising specialisms, making us better-rounded entrepreneurs.

Drawing to your management experience, what has your occupation taught you that lets you make a super workforce?

Diversity is vital. I believe you will have to keep away from a ‘cookie-cutter’ way the place everyone is similar. You will have to aspire to herald other other folks, other folks with other profiles to your self that suppose in numerous tactics and who can problem the established order. We wish to additionally to compare that with a tradition of openness, the place everyone feels in a position to be themselves. Only then are you able to construct a workforce that in point of fact plays nicely in combination.

What’s your first reminiscence of a advertising good fortune that you just had been a part of, the place you felt: that is the function for me.

I believe it was once running at the John Smith’s emblem. When I joined Heineken, it was once a much-loved emblem with an excessively unswerving client following. We recognized a possibility to open it as much as new audiences while balancing the whole lot from the previous that made it particular.

This resulted in a large 360 assessment, the place we checked out the whole lot from the site to design. In impact we had a mini relaunch. It delivered above our expectancies from a trade viewpoint. To ship that complete procedure from begin to end was once extremely pleasurable.

AI in advertising: what may well be some execs and cons?

AI permits us to get quicker effects, in particular from a analysis viewpoint. We can get solutions to trade questions in a rather brief time frame, fairly than the standard two, 3 weeks that we see with conventional analysis teams or enterprise a large quantitative find out about.

If I had to make a choice a ‘con’ it might be that whilst AI can provide you with excellent, high-level solutions, it’s no longer an alternative to if truth be told chatting with actual shoppers. You would omit such a lot of the nuance when you had been to simply take that view. It’s all about steadiness: ensuring that you just in point of fact perceive why and what you’re the usage of AI for.

Heineken’s ‘dry January’ marketing campaign for Heineken 0.0

Emotional connection is vital to emblem loyalty. How does Heineken way this throughout its portfolio?

It all begins with client working out – gaining that deep perception round wishes and motivations. Quite steadily, other folks gained’t let you know what they would like at some point as a result of they don’t know. But if we spend time with them, concentrate closely, we will be able to sign up for the dots. We can then determine the function that our manufacturers play in pleasurable those wishes and leverage our positioning as a springboard for concepts that create an emotional connection.

Could you let us know a couple of buyer analysis discovery that you just’ve made that you just discovered unexpected?

It’s no longer an enormous revelation however a excellent reminder. We love our manufacturers and we predict that customers love our manufacturers. We have this belief that they’re fascinated by them 24/7.

In fact, they’re a in point of fact small a part of our shoppers’ lives, and in essentially the most phase they’re no longer fascinated by them in any respect. We shouldn’t confuse ourselves and the affinity we have now for our manufacturers with what’s necessary for shoppers.

Could you let us know a couple of advertising mistake that you’ve got made and what you discovered from it?

Working in innovation there are at all times numerous tasks that don’t move as you’d was hoping. You get started with a super concept and on paper it will have to be an enormous good fortune, however for no matter explanation why it doesn’t paintings. It’s necessary to not be disheartened – there are at all times learnings regardless of the consequence. Sometimes, we’ll come again to the speculation at a later degree with a unique end result – proper time/proper position can no doubt be an element.

Cruzcampo was once thought to be 2024’s ‘sensation in the alcohol category’ (The Grocer)

What fantasy about advertising would you maximum love to bust?

I do not believe it’s so prevalent now, however early on in my occupation, entrepreneurs had been observed as in most cases handiest proudly owning positioning and communications. The commercialization of manufacturers was once handled by means of different groups – basically gross sales.

This has in point of fact modified: it’s nice to look that entrepreneurs now are turning into CEOs in their manufacturers and bringing with them a complete working out of the industrial proposition.

What recommendation would possibly you give your more youthful self if it’s worthwhile to return in time?

I’d inform myself to not be so obsessive about ‘moving up the ladder.’ I believe there’s price in lateral strikes inside advertising and honing your specialism. Sometimes we will be able to really feel numerous force to be transferring on the identical trajectory as our friends.

This force creates a suite of false milestones to hit. A squiggly occupation trail the place you be informed new issues from the ones lateral strikes can also be vastly really useful. When I consider advertising, it may be studying extra buyer advertising, running on emblem technique or transferring into gross sales and choosing up talents there – all of those disciplines make you a a lot more well-rounded and a professional marketer.

So my recommendation can be to realize as a lot wisdom as you’ll running in numerous spaces of promoting, and no longer obsessing such a lot about having to hit that subsequent task degree inside two years each and every time you start a brand new function.

Italian lager Birra Moretti has overtaken Carling to grow to be the best-selling lager in the United Kingdom.

What query do you want me to invite the following senior marketer once I interview them?

When was once the remaining time that you just spoke to considered one of your shoppers and what did you be informed? I believe now and again we aren’t as just about our shoppers as we predict we’re. That’s very true at upper ranges inside companies.

Your query from a senior marketer that I up to now interviewed is: what’s your favourite ad out of your adolescence that triggers nostalgia?

The Cadbury’s Gorilla ad is the person who at all times stands out for me. It’s so bonkers. It’s an advert this is immediately recognizable – whether or not you understood it or no longer, it didn’t in point of fact topic. There’s one thing very comforting in regards to the Cadbury’s emblem as nicely – they’re good at setting up an emotional connection.

I believe such a lot of what we create as entrepreneurs isn’t memorable. To have the ability to stand the check of time and be remembered a few years later is reasonably extraordinary.

If there’s something you realize about advertising, it’s…

Marketing is the expansion engine of any trade. As entrepreneurs, now and again we don’t at all times declare that function and it’s ours – as a result of with out advertising, there is not any long-term sustainable expansion.