Lion Nathan launches Steinlager Pure
In an effort to claw back some drinkers who prefer premium imported brands like Stella Artois or Beck’s, Lion Nathan New Zealand announced the launch of Steinlager Pure.
According to Lion Nathan, Steinlager Pure is a smooth flavoured lager featuring all New Zealand ingredients - malted barley, hops, yeast, water - and is completely free of additives or preservatives. Compared with Steinlager Classic, the new brew, which arrived on supermarket and liquor store shelves in June, is lighter and easier to drink. Lion Nathan is hoping that it will be attractive to people who like the Steinlager brand but find the original beer too full-flavoured.
Taste is one thing, what truly distinguishes Steinlager Pure from its Classic cousin is its price. A 12 pack of Steinlager Pure will retail for NZD 24.99, while Steinlager Classic usually sells for slightly less than NZD 20. Basically, Steinlager Pure is Lion Nathan’s attempt to launch a super premium domestic product as an alternative to European import brands. Given that Lion Nathan brews most of its own competition, the aforementioned international brands Stella Artois and Beck’s, under licence, the launch of Steinlager Pure may seem an act of cannibalism in a beer market that is in long-term decline. However, the premium segment is the driver of growth. If Lion Nathan can cash in on that trend with the help of its fully-owned brands, cannibalising the sales of licensed brands may seem a shrewd business decision.
An advertisement campaign for the beer was launched on 16 June starring Hollywood actor Harvey Keitel. In the television commercial he praises New Zealand for saying no to nuclear testing, no to women not being able to vote, and no to putting additives and preservatives into beer.
“It’s good to know you [New Zealand] take a stand where it counts,” is the final line.
Harvey Keitel is well known in New Zealand where he spent some time during the filming of the Oscar-winning motion picture The Piano (1993).
Incidentally, the ads were shot in Coney Island, New York.
