Sab

COMPANY PROFILE

2014

South African Breweries Flying Fish

0860 12 14 14 / +27 11 881 8111 | www.flyingfishsa.co.za

company profile

Who says fish can’t fly?

Editorial: Harriet Pattison Production: Emily Woodhall

With refreshing zesty flavours of Pressed Lemon and Crushed Orange being enjoyed and experienced across South Africa, selfies posted on Facebook and a beach on a rooftop in Johannesburg, it seems safe to say that Flying Fish’s question, ‘Who says fish can’t fly?’ has already been answered…

Founded over a century ago, The South African Breweries (Pty) Ltd (SAB) has grown to become SABMiller, the second largest brewery by volume in the world, with over 200 brands distributing to more than 70 countries across six continents. One of the up and coming brands of local subsidiary SAB, the leading distributor of beers and soft drinks, is Flying Fish.

Created in August 2012, this revolutionary brand combines the basic flavours of malted barley and hops and adds real fruit juice. The result? A refreshing fruit flavoured beer. Available in the citrus flavours of Pressed Lemon and Crushed

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Orange, IndustrySA speaks to SAB’s Market Development Manager, Hilary Jamieson, to ask just what makes the Flying Fish brand so revolutionary to South Africa.

THE FLAVOURED BEER “Beer has such a wonderful competency. It’s what we started out doing and it’s what we do really well, so a flavoured beer was a natural choice.

So we went into research with a total of 1500 consumers, testing products and positioning, as well as flavours. The citrus ones came out really strongly,” Jamieson explains.

Flavoured beers and ciders have become

South African Breweries – Flying Fish

increasingly popular in European countries in recent years but the idea, certainly where beer is concerned, had not really caught on in South Africa. Due to the often potent flavour and of beer, it is not a drink of choice for everyone so Flying Fish decided to tackle this as Jamieson explains: “Flying Fish is aimed at younger adult consumers aged 18-24. Amongst these consumers are beer rejecters so we asked how we could make beer more appealing. They suggested adding some lemonade, so the lemon variant appealed.”

A BEACH IN JOHANNESBURG? The launch event was held in October 2013 and

was designed to reflect the brand’s ethos, which Jamieson explains is all about adding a fun twist to the ordinary and creating relevant and memorable experiences that younger adult consumers can enjoy with their friends, which can often involve long summer months spent at the beach or beside the pool.

Jamieson explains how the company started to think outside of the generic consumer marketing box: “Our point of sale asks the questions, ‘Who says fish can’t fly?’ and ‘Who says beer can’t be flavoured?’ The launch event was held on a rooftop in Johannesburg and the set up was a beach, after all, who says you can’t have a beach

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company profile

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South African Breweries – Flying Fish in Johannesburg? Whatever we do for the brand we try to add some flavour. We want consumers to say ‘that could only be Flying Fish’. The added flavour extends to our point-of-sale elements.

We try to stay away from simple paper and board and use posters that are lenticular, just something a little different from the ordinary” explains Jamieson.

“We have an incredibly positive and ambitious target for this year and to do that we must continue with new-news and ongoing activities to make sure the brand remains relevant and appealing to the consumer” Joining SAB almost 25 years ago, Jamieson began as the sales forecaster in KwaZulu Natal with a primary role of predicting the sales for the region. Having worked on a few brands within the SAB portfolio, Jamieson understands the importance of buy-in from the full SAB sales force: “I am glad to see many of them drinking the brand and selling it with gusto” she says.

“UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS” When a brand like Flying Fish is aimed at the younger adult consumer, the world of social media is a vital tool in which to grow its market and add flavour to more lives. Jamieson explains its Facebook page over the last couple of months has had “unbelievable results,” largely due to the experiences the brand has hosted and the ‘flavour battle’ with sees people posting a selfie with their favourite flavour. “Once people try Flying Fish,

it’s not a question of whether you like it, it’s a question of whether you prefer Lemon or Orange.

Our brewing team did a phenomenal job,” says Jamieson.

A ZESTY AND REFRESHING FUTURE Despite only a short time in market, it is clear the Flying Fish brand is doing very well; so what’s next? Jamieson explains the company’s next biggest task is tackling consumers that reject beer.

“Our biggest challenge is getting it into the hands of beer rejecters and convincing them that this is a product which doesn’t smell like a beer or taste like a beer. An increasing number of consumers are adopting Flying Fish as part of their regular repertoire.”

“It is important that the brand appeals to both guys and girls and so far, Flying Fish is doing exactly that” Jamieson adds.

Sampling also remains a high priority, as Jamieson explains: “We want to get our product into consumers so sampling is the major focus and this will continue. We invest a significant portion of our marketing budget in this area, whether it be

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company profile

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South African Breweries – Flying Fish in outlet or at an experience.”

Jamieson explains that Flying Fish want to create experiences or leverage existing experiences for the target consumer. In July the brand will be activating at the Durban July, a horse race held every year on the first Saturday of the month.

Jamieson explains the event is the perfect fit for the brand with young adults flocking from Johannesburg and other places: “To be honest, it isn’t really about the horse race! It’s an opportunity to mingle amongst a few celebrities and spend time chilling with friends, and of course, enjoy a Flying Fish. Their phones will be close by so they can be posting on social media letting everyone know where they are, what they are doing and who they are hanging out with.”

“In order for Flying Fish to continue on this run of exponential success we just need to get the basics right. Primarily we have to be available and visible in outlets so consumers can find us wherever they shop or consume. We service a huge number of outlets and it is especially important that the brand is available in outlets frequented by the target consumer. After running out of stock last December due to such high demands, we just

couldn’t make enough so the company’s focus is making sure that does not happen again” Jamieson explains.

For a brand that is still less than a year old, the future looks set to be a bright one for Flying Fish and one filled with opportunities. “We have an incredibly positive and ambitious target for this year and to do that we must continue with newnews and ongoing activities to make sure the brand remains relevant and appealing to the consumer” says Jamieson. So, who says fish can’t fly?

.

“Once people try Flying Fish, it’s not a question of whether you like it, it’s a question of whether you prefer Lemon or Orange.”

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