Beck’s – A Worldwide Brewing Phenomenon

The brand continues to gain momentum in the UK on the back of its long-established arts sponsorship and through the success of its new TV advertising campaign which communicates a strong message about the brand’s unrivalled product quality.

A Focus on Purity:

Produced at the renowned Beck’s brewery in Bremen, Beck's has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon through a total focus on purity. It is brewed according to the German beer purity law, Reinheitsgebot, which stipulates that only four natural ingredients — barley-malt, hops, yeast and water — are used. Dating back to 1516, the Reinheitsgebot is reputed to be the oldest set of food regulations in the world.

It means that only the finest ingredients can be used including top-grade barley, hand-selected hops and fresh glacier water from a 10,000-year-old reserve near Bremen that is so pure that neither filtration nor treatment is not necessary. The final ingredient is an exclusive strain of yeast that has been nurtured and cultivated for generations by Beck’s Brew Masters.

Beck’s famous green, longneck bottle with its characteristic key logo – the symbol of Bremen - and red and white oval label is instantly recognised by beer lovers the world over. The design has hardly changed since 1908 and once again this underlines the brand’s traditional approach and a belief in evolution rather than revolution. The colour derives from the wine glass manufacturers who supplied the brewery at the time.
 
An Historic Brand:

Brewed in Bremen since 1873, Beck’s received its first brewing prize from Crown Prince Frederick a year later and its first international prize came in the USA in 1876. These medals still appear on the bottle label today — although there have been numerous brewing prizes in the years since.

The brewery dispatched its first overseas delivery to the Dutch West Indies in 1875 and other international markets followed including Asia, Africa, Australia and the east coast of the USA. Surprisingly, Germans never had a chance to enjoy the brand until it was launched in its home market in 1949!

The Bremen brewery is part of the fabric of life in the German city and has evolved over time as the success of the brand has grown. The brewery is an amalgamation of old an new – a gleaming white lobby with an art installation and a path of TV screens underfoot contrast with the history of the brand that is portrayed throughout the building.

In the Beck’s museum you will find a host of inventions and machines that have furthered the company’s quest to brew the ‘perfect’ beer such as the Linde cooling machine which revolutionised the brewing process. Before Beck’s invented it, beer could only be produced until March because the high summer temperatures would affect beer quality. The museum even houses replicas of bottles of Beck’s used in the filming of the classic German war movie, Das Boot.

The scale of the brand’s success in the 21st Century is astonishing: around 600 people produce seven million bottles of Beck’s every day at Bremen which is just enough to keep up with growing global demand.

The Art of Brewing:

In the UK, the brand has a particular appeal to 20-40-year-olds who know their beer and appreciate the high quality offering that Beck’s provides.

The brand is famous for its close association with the arts world following 21 years of high-profile sponsorship which has helped to build a close relationship with a premium audience of consumers.

Over the years, it has sponsored such acclaimed artists as Jeff Koons, Tracey Emin, Gilbert and George, Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst and commissioned them to produce limited-edition bottle labels.

TV Underlines Brewing Quality:

In May 2006, Beck’s concluded its first burst of TV advertising in seven years with a commercial featuring a ground-breaking visual approach mixing three different styles of animation with live action.

The commercial celebrates that Beck’s is only brewed using four natural ingredients by portraying four dancing characters that turn out to be the same person represented in a range of different ways.

The campaign emphasises the traditional nature of Beck’s brewing in a contemporary fashion using a striking visual technique to communicate a memorable message to its premium audience. 
 
A Strenthened Beck’s Portfolio:

InBev UK boosted the Beck’s portfolio with the introduction in last year of Beck’s Vier — a 4% ABV lager created to generate value and margin in the standard lager category.

Beck’s Vier is brewed to the same exacting standards as Beck’s and brings a new dimension to standard lager, standing out in a category which currently has very little differentiation. Unlike most standard lagers, Beck’s Vier is imported and brewed according to the German purity law — giving it a real point of difference and providing a premium profit opportunity for the growing number of retailers stocking it. 

¹ Source: AC Nielsen/GB/MAT November 4, 2006.

Contact information:

Rebecca Oliver/Annemarie Penderis 
b2b communications 
Tel 020 8974 2404 
Fax 020 8974 2256 
firstname@b2bcommunications.co.uk