Snap vs Strongbow: Another Brand Rivalry Beckons
Recently, when a reporter asked Ngozi Nkwoji, Senior Brand Manager Heinekens and Strongbow, if Strongbow, the latest brand on the stable of Nigerian Breweries was introduced as a competing brand with Guinness Nigeria’s Snap, she looked at the reporter with some bewilderment and blurted out, no! “Strongbow is in a class all by itself.”
Then she continued, “Snap is an apple flavoured drink, this (Strongbow) is an apple cider made from real apples as opposed to apple flavor. The only other ciders that are in the market are imported ones, sold in big shops like Shoprite and they sell for about N250 as against Strongbow that sells for N190.”
As convincing as that may sound, it still didn’t answer all the questions. It obviously didn’t satisfy the curiosity of pundits who wondered about why NB Plc chose a similar bottle design and colour as Snap, for their new drink. More so, the body language of the promoters of Strongbow at the launch suggested that they are out to seize the market from Snap, which was unveiled in 2012.
Besides, the brand positioning of Strongbow is very similar to Snap. Strongbow is positioned as a premium drink, “for customers, who do not drink other alcoholic beverages, they are looking for something lighter, not as heavy, something they can enjoy on a lighter note with friends”, Nkwoji said.
Nkwoji may not have spelt it out, but her description clearly mirrored more of a female audience than male, and also reflected very much the way Guinness will want customers to perceive Snap – a low alcoholic drink best enjoyed with friends.
And though Nigerian Breweries has insisted that their brand is targeted at a much wider audience, including young consumers (male and female) of age 18 to 30, but some of the pundits who tasted the beverage opined that it was more suited for female consumers, because of its sweet taste and low alcohol.
“The female will like it better, because they like something sweet, soft and colorful, women like something that does not intoxicate immediately,” Daniel Obi, a Brand Journalist said.
So while, the promoters of Strongbow may not want to accept that their attention is set in the same market segment with Snap’s, their marketing plans and activities have all pointed in that direction. And it is clear that the female market is their primary target.
Of course NB and Guinness Nigeria have a history of brand rivalry that goes back many years. Both companies match each other in products and services on many fronts. They are on each other’s heels whether in the malt, larger, bitters and stout market, where the rivalry is even more intense.
And now with Strongbow’s launch into the low alcoholic beverage sub-market, the prospect of another NB, Guinness rivalry beckons. And what will follow in the coming weeks and months is a firework of marketing activities from both sides, as both companies try to position their brand as market leader.
While the competition sometimes border on the unethical; sometimes resulting in de-marketing, consumers are, however, the better for it. So, let the rivalry begin.
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