Innovative Global Heineken® Bottle Berths in Nigeria

Whatever Heineken® engages on it does with innovation and style in line with its premium quality and packaging. To this end, the world’s leading international premium beer has just unveiled its new global bottle in Nigeria. The brand, which constantly looks for opportunities to set new world standards to provide its consumers with utmost quality, did not disappoint as it held a spectacular World Premiere of the bottle at the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino in Lagos which attracted high net worth personalities.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director/CEO Nigerian Breweries Plc said the company has been reinventing its brands and driving innovation over the years. Heineken®, he noted, is an outstanding brand in Nigeria, the fastest growing and most premium lager beer in the country, hence the name “Chairman”. The packaging, he continued, is state of the art and a retinue of distributors will ensure that it gets to the hands of its consumers wherever they are.

Mr. Walter Drenth, the Marketing Director affirmed that the new world class and innovative, proprietary bottle comes in 60cl and 33cl content. “It is a uniform Heineken® bottle across the world and I am proud that Nigeria is one of the first countries to introduce this new design on a returnable bottle. This bottle is designed with true perfection to match the premium quality that Heineken® always delivers”.

Taking the audience through the unique design features of the new bottle, Drenth stressed that it is the first bottle of its kind with a transparent label in Nigeria; the Marketing Director said it was deliberately achieved because “Heineken® hides nothing of its premium quality. The new green neck foil is inspired by the shape of a smile and is now wrapped around a longer neck. The stylish embossment at the back is a proof of authenticity and class. Together with the modern curves it adds a tactile nature that is pleasant to touch and that improves grip”, Drenth added.

Throwing more light on the new bottle, Jacqueline Van Faassen, Senior Brand Manager Heineken, pointed out that the taller, slimmer bottle contour shape with elegant curves gives a modern, premium feel and the strong shoulders gives the bottle an air of masculinity and pride. The content is the same premium quality Heineken® beer that is brewed with only 3 natural ingredients: water, 100% malted barley and hops. Apart from the new bottle, she added that a new world class crate and a six pack unique packaging is part of the innovation that the brand is bringing to consumers. She also enjoined consumers to visit www.heineken.com, www.facebook.com/heineken, Twitter: @heineken_ng to learn more about the new bottle.

The feel of the World Premiere event was reminiscent of a scene from a James Bond 007 movie. Heineken® also sponsored and premiered Skyfall, the latest James Bond movie worldwide and by so doing, lived up to the promise it made earlier on premiering the film in Nigeria. There was a high speed boat chase between mercenaries and the naval security marshals to retrieve the case containing the new bottle snatched earlier by mercenaries. The case was eventually retrieved and handed over to Jacqueline Van Faassen and its content, the new world class Heineken® bottle was revealed to the audience by Nicolaas Vervelde and Walter Drenth.

Some of the important personalities that attended the World Premiere include: Tuface Idibia, ex-Super Eagle star, Victor Ikpeba, Yinka Davies and Timi Dakolo. Others include Alhaji Bello Kankarofi, Registrar, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigerian, APCON, Steve Ayorinde, MD, National Mirror and Oscar Onyema, Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. The personalities at the event applauded the way the bottle was delivered; they were particularly thrilled by the drama that took place before the arrival of the bottle in which a guest was “tracked down and interrogated” for being in possession of the Heineken® James Bond case.

The guests later proceeded to the Silverbird Galleria to watch Skyfall, the latest James Bond film where they were refreshed with chilled Heineken® in a world class bottle from the World to Nigeria.