The FINANCIAL — Efes beer has changed its logo, label, shape of the bottle and marketing strategy on the worldwide market. The new designs are the result of one year’s work by brand teams from all EBG operations and by the British design agency Sibert Head, elected in a tender of leading worldwide design agencies.
“The redesigned emblem shape has been given a new sense of contemporary freedom as the outer gold ribbons are cleaner but separated with a dynamic twist. While the golden ribbons evoke the golden colour of beer, they symbolize quality and success as well. The red stripes within the ribbons add warmth and sincerity to the emblem,” the company explains.
Yüksel Gökbulut, Commercial Director of Efes Beer Group, stated that in the redesign process, like all other established international brands do; they preferred to modernize Efes brand’s visual identity by sustaining the brand essence; instead of differentiating it radically. Gökbulut added that Efes has become a significant “icon” in the world of beers with its taste, bottle, and visual identity.
Alejandro Jimenez, Efes Beer Group President stated that Efes is being produced in Russia, Turkey, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Serbia, and exported to more than 50 countries.
“Efes is one of the leading world brands which is represented in 60 countries and according to its wide scales, it’s in 5th place among beer producer companies in Europe. We have decided to start a process of re-launching and according to that we will get an improved and interesting logo, label and shape of the bottle,” says Mehmet Kocak, General Manager of Efes Georgia.
One of the world’s most famous beer companies, Efes held a re-launching ceremony last week in Tbilisi. Designer Butsia Filakov had specially created the Efes design clothing line and Georgian models displayed the clothes to specially invited guests.
“In comparison with the year 2008, in 2009 the market has reduced significantly as a result of the economic downturn, however despite this we are increasing our market share and are following through our plans. Our foreign investors are quite satisfied and are aiming to increase their investments,” Tornike Nikolaishvili, Marketing Manager told The FINANCIAL.
“The incomes of Efes have risen over the first 7 months of 2009, this being due to our raised market share. We have also produced new brands, like Kasri and Qarva, and we have actually had better results than last year, which happens when the whole market reduces,” Nikolaishvili said.
“We have changed the colour of the bottle and its label. First of all in terms of rebranding, Efes is proving to everyone that life goes on and things must progress despite the economic crisis. We can say that it is a positive message to everyone,” Mehmet Kocak says.
“People prefer to choose better quality, they like innovations and in this way Efes is here to become stronger, but one thing will never change which is that our beer is of excellent quality. We are not staying at the same level, we are aiming for a better future,” Kocak told The FINANCIAL.
According to Kocak, Efes will communicate better with the new label and shape. He said that Natakhtari and Efes have similar quality, but different tastes.
“We are selling the best quality beer to our clients,” Kocak says.
Company EFES was established in the year 1969. The world brand appeared in Georgia recently and has put a high amount of investments in to the brewery Natakhtari. From the year 2009, Efes has imported its product itself to Georgia and in parallel Efes Georgia produces the beers Natakhtari, Kasris Ludi, 3D, Qarva and the soft drinks of Natakhtari. The company employs 350 persons and in 2008 paid more than GEL 20 million to the state budget.
The Efes Beverage Group was founded in Turkey in 1969. Its international operations include 15 breweries in Turkey, Russia, the CIS and southeastern Europe. Based in Istanbul the company has corporate branches in Izmir. The company was named after the ancient city Ephesus situated near the Izmir brewery. Efes is a subsidiary of the Anadolu Group, Turkey’s largest beer producer.
Anadolu Efes’ current long-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) is ‘BB’ with Stable Outlook, Long-term local currency IDR is ‘BB+’ with Negative Outlook and National Long-term ‘AA+ (tur)’ with Negative Outlook.
In 1H2009, sales volume of our Turkey beer operations reached 4.5 mhl, recording 2.3% growth over the same period of the previous year. Domestic sales volume growth was also 2.3% in 1H2009 year-on-year.
Volume growth in the second quarter was 1.2%, despite the very strong base of the previous year, when beer sales volume grew by 10.3% year on year. Despite the macro economic challenges, as well as higher prices due to excise tax increase, the positive growth rate was achieved through the dynamic performance of our initiatives towards further development of on- and off-premise mhl.
In 1H2009 EBI’s consolidated sales volume was 6.7 mhl, indicating a decline of 4.6% compared to the same period of the previous year when sales volume declined by 2 8%. Second quarter sales volume was down by 4.8% compared to a year ago due to the continued effects of a sharp economic slowdown in the region combined with the strong base of last year, when sales volume was up by 10.7%.
In Russia, 1H2009 sales volume was 5.3 mhl, indicating a decline of 5.3% over the same period of the previous year. The downward trend in the Russian beer market, resulting from the deteriorating consumer demand as a result of the global financial crisis, continued in the second quarter of 2009. EBI was again able to outperform the market in the first half of the year as the market is expected to have contracted by high single digits. In 2Q2009, sales volume was down by 5.3% in Russia compared to the same period of the previous year.
In Russia, EBI continued to launch brand extensions and new packages to the market, which positively contributed to our outperformance of the beer market in the first six months of 2009. In addition to a new product in the Stary Melnik portfolio, “Stary Melnik Iz bochonka Osoboe” which was launched in March the new packages of Osoboe , March, Bavaria 8,6, Green Beer and Gold Mine were introduced to the market, along with the relaunched Efes Pilsener in 50cl bottles in April.
In Kazakhstan, EBI’s volume performance was again ahead of the market with a sales volume growth of 13.6% to 0.8 mhl in 1H2009. In 2Q2009, sales volume was up by 5.1% in Kazakhstan compared to 2Q2008.
The challenging economic conditions in Moldova continued to have negative impact on our sales volume in the second quarter of 2009, yet at a slower rate. Sales volume in Moldova was down by 9.3% in 1H2009 and by 1.0% in 2Q2009 y-o-y.
Georgia operations contributed 4.8% of EBI’s consolidated sales volume. 2Q2009 beer sales volume growth in Georgia was 6.2%. In Georgia, new products in the Nataktari portfolio Nataktari Kasris in draft bottles and Nataktari Karva in transparent bottles and PET were launched in April and May.
Written By Tako Khelaia
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