Tui capitalises on beer-drinking bride

It may have caused uproar, but Tui - denying the whole thing was pre-planned - is capitalising on the beer drinking bride from Taranaki.

A picture of Katrina Hayman swigging a beer at the Taranaki Bride of the Year competition had organisers calling for an apology from the media for not having a photo of the winning bride, but rather a “free commercial for Tui”.

Speaking to NBR ONLINE, DB Breweries managing director Brian Blake says Mrs Hayman is a typical "Tui girl" and they have capitalised on the controversy with their new billboard campaign in Taranaki.

“She is a typical Tui girl, no airs and pretences, down to earth. We always strive to push the boundaries a little bit and to create discussion around the brand,” he says.

“It’s just wrong for a bride to enjoy a beer” the billboard announces, followed by the Tui tag line “yeah right”.

DB general manager of corporate affairs Mark Campbell denies the drinking bride sequence was "pre-planned".

"We heard about it after the paper came out and our billboard was in response to that," he says.

Asia Pacific Breweries chief executive officer, Roland Pirmez, told NBR he is a “Tui guy”, and despite the wide range of beers on offer, Tui is his favourite.

Mr Pirmez was visiting New Zealand this week to view the new Monteith’s Brewery which its subsidiary DB is developing in Greymouth, thanks to a significant investment from APB.

Work on the 143-year-old brewery began last year with the decommissioning of ageing brewing equipment and the demolition of old packaging lines and office buildings. 

The new brewery, expected to be re-opened on July 25, will produce interesting beer styles in different pack formats.

Monteith’s is also developing an innovative tasting room for its craft beers and a merchandise shop as part of its new-look brewery tour experience. 

As well as creating additional business opportunities for Greymouth, the new-look brewery will employ more full and part-time staff, it is hoped the upgrade will increase visitor numbers too.

“This has been a very easy trip for me. It is an outstanding project; this will be a win-win situation, creating credibility for the Monteith's brand, as well as for the city.

"This will be a mixed craft beer brewery and a tourist attraction,” says Mr Pirmez.

APB has also invested $50 million into the Timaru brewery, including developing new technology and improving packaging.

APB boasts a portfolio of more than 40 beer brands and brand variants. Tiger and Heineken are the international premium beers offered in New Zealand.

The company continues to experience strong growth throughout the Asia Pacific network and was among Asia’s Fab 50 list of the 50 most profitable listed companies in 2011.

From September 2007 to September 2010 APB achieved a compound annual growth rate of 14%,

APB announced last week that Group profit before interest, taxation and exceptional items (PBIT) for the six months ended March 31 rose $US80.5m, or 30%, to $US349.4m. 

Group attributable net profit before exceptional items (APBE) increased $US49.2m, or 34%, to $US194m.

“These half-term annual results are robust results. We are very happy with them,” says Mr Pirmez.

The challenges the beer industry faces are not unique.

“You always need to be on top of the trend. The speed of the trend and social responsibility are the two key challenges of any beer industry in the world.” 

Mr Pirmez says engaging with authorities is vital when it comes to reducing the abuse of alcohol.

“You need to be very clear internally and externally about the values of the company.

"In New Zealand this is not such a problem, but we are operating in many emerging markets and we need to engage with consumers very early,” he says.

In these emerging markets, the abuse of alcohol is not a top priority and growing the economy is often pursued at the risk of higher alcohol abuse numbers.