International Beer Day: Beer Companies Compete for the Most Sales

Happy International Beer Day! Sit back with an IPA, a stout, a lager or whatever your beer of choice is and enjoy.

In honor of this hoppy holiday, we’re taking a look at the leading beer companies around the globe for the first half of this year.

5. Molson Coors Brewing

The fifth most successful brewer, Molson Coors Brewing has brought in $10.9 billion in Q1 and Q2 of this year. With 97 brands under their umbrella, Molson Coors Brewing owns crowd favorites like Blue Moon, Coors Light and Miller.

For a recent Coors Light commercial, featured below, Molson Coors took an active and refreshing approach — literally — playing off their “brewed in the Rockies” slogan.

4. Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings, stakeholder of Lion Nathan Limited, San Miguel Brewery and more, is one of the most popular breweries in Japan. The brand produces both Kirin Lager and Ichiban Shibori, but Kirin Tanrei is their best seller. Together, their beers bring in $16.6 billion, securing their spot at the fourth most popular beer distributor worldwide this year.

In the past, Kirin Holdings enlisted help from celebrities like George Clooney to put a face on their product for promotion.

3. Asahi Group Holdings

Asahi Group Holdings, founded in 1889, is the largest brewery in Japan, selling $19.4 billion within this first six months of this year. The brewery, which holds 49% of the share in the Japanese beer market, produces Asahi Gold, Asahi Super Dry, Asahi Draft plus additional beer selections while also manufacturing whiskey, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

Asahi promotes upscale and luxurious lifestyles, encouraging their consumers to “uncover the night.” In years prior, Asahi has recruited actors Hugh Jackman and Johnny Depp among others to promote their beers.

2. Heineken Holding

Heineken, founded in 1864, pulled in $24.7 billion throughout the first six months of 2018. The brand’s latest report states the company saw a 5% increase in organic revenue last year and is expected to continue this growth this year.

The Amsterdam brewer focuses on powerful marketing, releasing energized ads like the one featured below. Throughout their promotional material, Heineken focuses on bringing the life of the party.

1. Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev is the parent company to some of the most popular beers worldwide. Raking in a collective $56.4 billion from January through June of this year are brands like Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck’s, Hoegaarden and Leffe, which are all owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Specifically, Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois saw a combined growth of 10.1% in Q2 of 2018, due to this year’s World Cup, according to MarketWatch.

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s marketing finds innovative ways to promote their beverages. For example, Budweiser’s World Cup video involved drones and a beloved sports competition while keeping a theme of pleasing consumers. Budweiser also recently worked with Burger King to recreate their classic “Wassup” video, in which actors sit around, “watching the game and having a Bud.”

By capitalizing on sporting events and the love of watching sports, Anheuser-Busch InBev positioned Budweiser perfectly, branding the beer as the go-to drink for watching football and soccer.

While large beer brands are doing well worldwide, the U.S. has seen a dramatic decrease in beer sales with AB InBev, Heineken, and Molson Coors all reporting drops in U.S. beer volume in Q1 and Q2 2018, according to Fox. Americans seem to be increasingly interested in craft beers, though craft breweries in the U.S. reported curbed sales as well. Sales for liquor and spirits increased, reaching 31.7% of the alcohol market in 2017, growing from 29.6% in 2010.

With nearly $130 billion in worldwide sales for the first two quarters of 2018 alone, the beer industry is a competitive and valuable market that requires expert marketing and promotions. Whether it’s recruiting big names like Hugh Jackman and George Clooney or sticking to branded slogans, marketing needs to connect with the targeted audience and be delivered with powerful impact.

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About the Author

Victoria Pallien is a Marketing Communications Writer at Digital Media Solutions (DMS), an industry leader in providing end-to-end customer acquisition solutions that help clients grow their businesses and realize their marketing goals. Since its inception, DMS has evolved into a full-service performance marketing company that services firms within highly complex and competitive industries including mortgage, education, insurance, consumer brands, automotive, jobs and careers. DMS has achieved incredible year-over-year growth, which has earned recognition on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

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