Early positioning and image problems encountered by Stella Artois in the UK market can be used as prominent examples of contradiction between the sale price and advertisement campaign. Although the brand was intended to be an expensive premium product, combining the high percentage of alcohol and lowering the cost created an impression that this product was designed for mainstream use. Considering that other reputable brands tended to diminish alcohol content and increase the prices, in comparison to them, Stella Artois gained a low-quality reputation. In this regard, it can be concluded that it is essential to analyze the entry market and potential competitors, examining the customers’ expectations and evaluating whether product differences might prompt the emergence of unexpected impressions.
The market development model is an excellent guide for industry growth, which allows for increasing the sales of beer. Considering the audience’s characteristics and the product’s attributes, following the suggested advice for the current maturity level might offer relevant insights into the elevation of category volume and brand sales. For instance, remaining aware of the customers’ preferred method of beer consumption can aid in understanding the market segment and providing the exact product that the target population expects to receive. In addition, it becomes possible to avoid failures connected to the presentation of irrelevant beer segments and product categories. Furthermore, as different social groups begin to consume beer, the brand can be adapted to fit their requirements, establishing new segments, promoting consumption changes, and compelling the market development to advance to the next level.
From my perspective, the complication in the launch of the brand in Mexico can be connected to the availability of the Water.org campaign. As this proposition was only available in particular countries, which excluded Mexico, it is possible to suggest that the customers were not interested in receiving the marketed promotion. Furthermore, it is possible that the characteristics of the campaign contributed to the failure, as customers were expecting different positioning for a new product, which openly addressed a serious issue rather than promoting its qualities. Considering that tremendous amounts of water are used for brewing beer, marketing water access through beer consumption could have resonated with the consumers, creating a negative disposition towards the brand.
Introducing Stella Artois into the South African market included several considerable advantages for the company. Given that the water access in Cape Town was recently restricted due to the water crisis, providing the customers with an opportunity to receive an extra water supply tremendously increased the possibility of success. Moreover, as the South African beer market was steadily growing, this was a perfect opportunity to enter it. However, a significant disadvantage of centering the South Africa launch on the Water.org sponsorship concerns the use of a highly prominent water complication as a marketing tool. Furthermore, South Africa remained at the first level of market maturity, meaning that introducing a premium brand contradicted the customers’ expectations.
From my perspective, it would be essential to shift the focus on the additional access to water, attempting to mitigate the ethical conflict between water access and beer promotion. Furthermore, changing the usual approach could be highly beneficial for the South Africa campaign, as it would allow presenting the Stella Artois beer as suitable for bar consumption rather than a high-priced premium brand. In the future, as the audience becomes more familiar with the product, it would be possible to expand the span of the marketing campaign.