Bangkok--8 Mar--Thai beverage Marketing
Thai Beverage Public Co., Ltd., Thailand’s and Asia’s giant alcoholic beverage producer, formally introduced “Chang Light”, as a new more health-conscious but fine-flavor alternative for Thai beer lovers in a press conference yesterday (Wednesday, March 8).
The new “Chang Light” with a more pronounced fragrance of roasted malt is aimed at a new generation of younger and health-conscious drinkers, along with female beer lovers who are concerned about their figures and alcohol content, according to Senior Deputy Managing Director of Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd, Mr. Somchai Suthikulpanich.
Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd is a marketing subsidiary of Thai Beverage PLC (ThaiBev).
Mr. Somchai said the selling points of the new “Chang Light” lied in its low carbohydrate level and the alcoholic content lower than the most beers on the market. “Regular beers all have alcoholic contents of 5% or higher, whereas “Chang Light” has an alcoholic content of only 4.2% by volume,” Mr. Somchai said.
“As for carbohydrate content of “Chang Light”, its 4.50 grams per 355 millimeters of carbohydrate is considerably lower than the internationally-accepted standard for “light beer” of no more than 6.60 g./355 ml.,” he explained.
The lower carbohydrate content means healthier lifestyle for those whose metabolism are sensitive to carbohydrate intake. At the same time, “Chang Light” has noticeably more pronounced roasted malt fragrance, to give it a truly sophisticated aroma and taste of a delicate blend between American and European beers sought after by Thai beer lovers.
Mr. Somchai said that “Chang Light” is targeted at A to B customers aged between 23-28, whose active lifestyle takes in a variety of sports activities as well as traveling and music. A budget of about 30-40 million baht has been set aside this year for the marketing of “Chang Light”, that will include print ads, TV commercials and other forms of promotion. The company anticipated lion’s share of more than 50% market share of Thailand’s light beer this year.
The marketing strategy would encompass both above- and below-the-line strategies, including wide distribution to up-scale restaurants, luxury hotels, golf courses, both in Bangkok and in major provinces nationwide.
“Chang Light” would also be marketed through sports marketing, especially golf, to create better awareness among the intended target groups. The 330 ml. bottle would not be reasonably priced over 30 baht and not over 50 baht for the 640 ml. bottle. The product would also be exported to Europe and the US.
Mr. Somchai anticipated that this year, light beer would account for about 2% of the total market amounting to about 35 million liters, while all types of beer are expected to total 1.8 billion liters. ThaiBev, as the market leader, is expected to have a lion’s share of more than 50% of total market. The relatively small amount of market share for light beer this year, he added, is attributed to the fact that it is a rather new segment just introduced in the local market.
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