I made a recent purchase the other day at the local Harris Teeter. While perusing the beer section, I stumbled across a new package of Natural Lights. The “Natty Lights” were in an unfamiliar section: the bottle section. First off, it is hard to find Natural Light in bottles and here they were in the 18 pack section right next to 18 packs of Bud Light and Budweiser. Not only were the Natty’s in bottles, they were in a new package. The new 12 ounce bottles were “stubbies” and not longnecks. The bottles were called “The Fatty Natty” which seemed like a fun name, and playing on consumer preferences to call the beer “Natty.” It also seemed like a good way to improve the brand image, and make the bottle similar to Red Stripe, an imported beer. It can also provide differentiation in the market. Miller Lite had a similar marketing ploy a year ago with the “Vortex” bottle. The bottle looks different enough that a bystander can see a difference between a Natural Light, and a Bud Light (or Busch Light).
From a consumer behavior standpoint, the brand had already done a great job because the new packaging had grabbed my attention for well over 30 seconds. It caused me to stop in the aisle and examine the case. I then inspected the case package closer to see if there were any other “surprises.” On the side of the box, I noticed a statement playing on the “Keep it Natural” theme. The seal stated, “Keeping it Natural; Contains 13.6% less glass than traditional bottles” (see picture below). This is where the marketing team lost me.
I thought it was strange to mention the environmental message on the new case. This seems to be changing the positioning of the product from its core consumers. Natural Light is typically purchased and consumed by people looking for a cheap, light beer. I think Anheuser confused their target customer my adding the environmental message. Where it is an extra benefit, it doesn’t really matter to the core customer. It is probably more of a benefit to Anheuser more than anything in order to save on costs of glass. I think the environmental message causes some confusion for the core customer and doesn’t necessarily need to be included on the packaging. Maybe the core customer won’t even notice the environmental message, but then it would just be a waste of ink!
Despite my view of a missed message, Anheuser did a good job by launching a Facebook page for the Fatty Natty bottle. The page encourages fans to request their local bars to carry Fatty Natty’s and also has an area for fans to submit videos of “chilling with a Fatty Natty” and vote what food goes best with a Fatty Natty (see image below). The use of Social Media is a much better fit for the Natural Light brand. It is unclear if the Fatty Natty’s are a promotional gimmick or if they are here to stay. The Fatty Natty’s made an impression on me, but it will be interesting to see if it speaks to the core customer.
By Andrew Akers
I differ in my interpretation of the core consumer group that "Natty Light" is targeting; perhaps a broader scope of the group needs to be taken in to account. We all agree that the target audience is those looking for an inexpensive beer. That being said, what description would you typically also associate with a large portion of those shoppers... a "green thumbed" co-ed who is trending towards an increased emphasis on environmental conservation and sustainability.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that when I line up to buy cheap beer - at least when I was an undergrad - I did not differentiate between "Natty Light," "Beast," or the "Champagne of Beers." I picked based purely on price point; even at times venturing towards some South Paw to save a buck. Perhaps this is Natural Light's attempt to drive some point of differentiation amongst its low cost/price competitors that will allow it to overcome pure price as a source of selection in shoppers.
All that being said, I think the greatest thing you touched on was the potential new perception of Natural Light at parity with the more expensive imported Red Stripe. The association between bottle shape and beer may help to displace the slight perceived advantage Red Stripe receives based on their higher price point (one related only to import taxes/status as opposed to one of actual increased quality).
It is nice to see beers priced closer to their true value (a.k.a. Victoria is not a $9/six pack beer - in Central America it is the Natural Light).
Good topic!
Jon Wilson
Well of course I'm going to comment on the beer posting(s)! This is a fun topic that would be great to kick around in class....over 'cold ones' nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteRelated to Jon's final remark about the perception of domestic vs. imports: this is not only common within the beer category, but something that plays out big time in many industries. From autos, fashion, food/beverage, and so on, there is a certain mystique that goes with having something foreign. In the United States, domestic cars are often seen as inferior to many foreign brands. In some Asian countries, having a big American sedan makes you the coolest kid on the block. Long story short, it seems that the grass is always greener and the aura of foreignness creates an interesting allure to imported products. I'd be curious to hear what the psychological reasons are behind this.
I'm 33 years old, and can proudly say that "the beer with the taste for food" has been my guzzler go to for a long time.it makes me very proud to see that people besides myself care this much about the the beloved NL.Yes the environment is important, and anything to help is surely an added bonus to all beer drinkers.Im with ya on the pp. the pricepoint in baltimore over the years has always been low,i can still get 30pks here for $18. i have drank natural with a vast variety of people, and no matter what, they all respect its true core as a simple, refreshing(when cold), inexpensive pounder. i think t.j hits the nail on the head with the psych stuff.it's all in the perception. as a natty drinker, it can get boring. i had migrated to darker and tastier brews for the colder weather, but when i saw the new bottle it was like hookin up w an old girlfriend, only she got fat, and i had to take her home with me. now, its 40 degrees in baltimore and im back chillin with my natty, my fatty natty. i love the new bottle, and not cuz of the red stripe/ import aspect, because its a fresh change to an old favorite. same reason sports teams change their uniforms. Cheers!!
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