For the love of beer
A decade of consistent brand growth
AB InBev, Hertog Jan
Visual Identity / Packaging / Brand Activation / Content Creation
#1 beer in NL
Continuous growth since 2015, from a regional #4 brand to the nation’s favourite
You couldn’t make this up. Over the past 9 years, with virtually no conventional advertising, AB-InBev’s Hertog Jan grew from a niche ‘discovery’ brand (#4 in the market) to become The Netherlands’ best-selling beer.
How? By adding story-doing to story-telling; creating new beers as well as new ways to discover and experience them.
Our partnership with ‘the Duke’ began in 2015, with a project to unite two previously separate pillars of the brand: the mainstream Pilsener (85% of sales) and a large range of regional and seasonal speciality beers.
Why? Because the specialities embody the proof of the brand’s purpose and long-standing slogan: ‘For the love of beer’. It’s a tale of two halves, so strap in for part 1.
Our brief was to bring to life the Brewers’ obsession with craft and taste, to create a design system that could stretch to new beer styles and innovations, and to increase brand standout on-shelf.
In consumer research the new design was a ‘clear and convincing winner’ on all 3 set KPIs, with improved brand preference, shelf impact and communication of key messages: quality, craft, brand fit, passion for beer and connoisseurship.
It’s also stood the test of time, seamlessly embracing many innovations over the last 9 years, including a 0,0% beer and 2023’s Grand Pilsener.
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Launched in Autumn 2015, the ‘Ongekend’ (Unknown) limited edition was the first step on a journey that would see a step-change in Hertog Jan’s reputation and popularity. Aimed firmly at the ‘beer geek’ end of the brand’s fan base, the style of beer was kept a secret, only revealed at an online tasting with the Master Brewer.
Another milestone in what we call ‘black ops’ was the launch of ‘Proeftuin’ in 2021. It’s a Direct-to-Consumer brand that sends 3 bottles of a new experimental beer to subscribers every quarter. It’s grown every year and now serves over 10,000 fans.