Richest man

Chapter 17 Europe: Shannon de Carvalho Heineken (2)
In a crowded conveyor belt sushi restaurant, the male and female protagonists are seated far apart.The man raises the wine to the woman first, and then pours it into the wine glass.He put the wine glass on the conveyor belt in front of him, hoping to deliver it to the woman, but someone took it away halfway.He had no choice but to pour a second glass, which was also taken away by others on the conveyor belt, and the first person who took the glass returned the empty glass.The words "let it go" appeared on the screen.The camera turned around, but saw the actor put his hand on his forehead, and then the woman smiled—it turned out that the entire conveyor belt was lined with Heineken beer.It is said that after the advertisement was broadcast in Taiwan, the sales volume of Heineken beer rose sharply, and the sales performance surged to three times that of the same period last year.

The unique and systematic Heineken advertising gives Heineken beer stronger vitality and brand characteristics.In addition to the advertisements that make the world laugh out loud, the localization of Heineken's marketing is also one of the key factors for its brand growth.Unlike many brewers, Freddie Heineken and his family prefer to sponsor sports events and other cultural events. The Heineken Music Festival is a masterpiece that Heineken has continued for many years.

Beer lovers all over the world know Heineken's traditional "October Music Festival". In fact, Heineken participates in as many as 30 music festivals around the world.In Switzerland, Heineken is one of the main sponsors of the Monterrey Jazz Festival, which has a 32-year history and is considered by many to be the most successful music festival to date; Puerto Rico Jazz Festival, which quickly became one of the top jazz festivals in the world; in Brazil, Heineken sponsored the Heineken Brazilian Traditional Folk Music Festival held in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; The popular Mount Fuji Music Festival attracts music lovers with different tastes to appreciate the essence of Eastern and Western music.

Heineken is not only an important sponsor of music events, but also created events such as "Heineken Open-air Prom Night", which is the first to integrate classical music and pop music, and has become the most successful form of impromptu live performances in Europe. and among the most popular concerts.

The sponsorship of concerts of different cultures is echoing the international Heineken advocated by Freddie Heineken, which is why Heineken can become the most popular beer in the world.As Van Carnebeek puts it, Heineken's marketing strategy has given full play to "the unique power of music and its role in crossing language barriers, breaking down cultural boundaries, and bringing people closer together."

Heineken created the Dutch beer myth with more characteristic advertising behavior and SP promotion.

More active "foreign surname" managers

The unique advertisements can be said to be a fulcrum for Freddie Heineken and Heineken to the world, but in Freddie Heineken's later years, the person responsible for implementing these advertisements and the operation of the entire Heineken company was The outsider, he is Anthony Ruiz.

Ruiz, 57, was a former top executive at Unilever before being promoted to the top job after 10 years at Heineken.As a professional manager, all he can do is to manage the Heinegan family's property well.At this point, Freddie Heineken's departure may be a good thing for him, because Shannon de Carvalho Heineken is not as hands-on as his father in the management of Heineken, but It was the CEO of Heineken who basically handed over the day-to-day affairs of the company.

After the death of Freddie Heineken, Heineken remains the oldest global brand in the world.At this point, neither Anhuizer Busch, which ranks first, SAB Miller, which ranks second, or Interbrew, which ranks fourth, cannot compare with Heineken.But the problem is that the $3670 billion world beer market is changing.In the United States and Europe, where people are increasingly fond of wine, two-thirds of Heineken's profits come from the United States and Europe.Globally, the beer industry is increasingly competitive and fragmented more than ever: the four largest beer companies account for less than one-third of the global market; A large number of new products are pouring into the market, and there are more and more brands in the beer market.These new brands range from low-sugar beers to beers imported from Italy and the Czech Republic.

In order to overcome these emerging challenges, Ruiz is pushing Heineken to get rid of the corporate culture of seeking stability and fearing chaos. Ruiz gradually reformed Heineken's conservative corporate culture, but he emphasized that everything in the company is just improvement, not revolution. .

Although Freddie Heineken was good at marketing, he was conservative when it came to financial investing.In his final years, he stagnated Heineken while SAB Miller and Interbrew grew through mega-deals.Unlike Freddie, who insisted that Heineken maintain its brand identity, Shannon allowed Ruiz more freedom in dealing with the brand. She gave Ruiz greater autonomy.

After officially taking over Heineken in 2002, Ruiz invested billions of dollars and conducted many mergers and acquisitions around the world.At present, Heineken has joint ventures with more than 50 beer companies in more than 110 countries and regions, and Heineken beer is sold in more than 170 countries and regions.In addition, he actively inherits the company's funding for music, sports, and art, and organizes various competitions around the world.In many major tennis tournaments, concerts and film festivals, people can see the green logo of Heineken.

It is particularly worth mentioning that Ruiz began to pay more attention to the Chinese market. In 2004, Ruiz led Heineken’s investment in Guangdong Beer Group, which was rated as one of the top ten mergers and acquisitions in China that year. On January 2004, 1, the two parties formally signed a contract, and Heineken invested HK$28 million in Guangdong Brewery 5.8 % equity.Among the four major brewers in the world, Heineken may be the most low-key brand in China. Prior to this, the other three giants have been making mergers and acquisitions in China, and Heineken has obviously lagged behind the other three.After becoming a shareholder of Canton Beer, Heineken will use Canton Beer's good sales network in Guangdong to expand, and Heineken can complement Canton Beer in terms of brand management, product technology, and capital development. Canton Beer can use Heineken's scientific research strength Strengthen product research and development.Ruiz obviously wants to send such an important signal: Heineken is going to exert its strength in China.

For these cautious mergers and acquisitions led by Ruiz, Sir Frank Roy, who was in charge of Heineken's advertising business in the UK and the United States, believes that it is difficult for today's companies to spend a long time building a brand like Heineken. Heineken, on the other hand, "has the will and patience to see it through."In this regard, Shannon de Carvalho Heineken supported him and said: "For those M&A transactions that are absolutely necessary, we will always consider them."

Since taking office, Ruiz and Heineken have done more than that.In the eyes of many people, Heineken is a traditional old brand.In order to improve the image of the Heineken brand, Ruiz adjusted the marketing strategy.Heineken organized matching sales activities on the occasion of the release of big-investment movies that young people love, such as "The Matrix II".Heineken has also sponsored events such as horse betting, where the winners can go to a Heineken party in Jamaica.

In addition, in terms of advertising and packaging, Heineken is taking a bolder approach, aiming to win over the 20-year-old consumer group.Most recently, Heineken launched a silver-and-green aluminum bottle, which is sold in exclusive clubs in Europe and the United States for three times the price of Heineken on tap."Our strategy is right, but after years of success, we can be smarter," Ruiz said.

这种营销策略已在美国产生了效果。在美国，爱喝喜力啤酒的人的平均年龄已从20世纪90年代中期的40岁上下降低到现在的30岁出头。鲁伊斯的目标是在未来几年里将此年龄降低到不足30岁。

Meanwhile, Ruiz continued to maintain the international character of Heineken advertising.For example, in the series of advertisements serialized in "Business Weekly", the advertisements in each issue of the magazine are different, introducing a bar with both historical origins and iced Heineken near a famous place, and attaching a detailed address to prove its existence , and under the trademark of Heineken, there is a line of small words - "the purest beer in the world".On a piece of paper, Heineken's internationalization, cultural connotation, high quality and other characteristics are subtly integrated together.

Of course, these efforts only helped Heineken overcome the downturn in the global beer market that began in 2001. The double-digit profit growth of Heineken for six consecutive years did not continue after 6.However, by 2002, Heineken's situation had improved, still maintaining a profit of 2004 million US dollars, sales of 9 billion US dollars and a 116% global market share.

Regarding Heineken's status quo, Ruiz, who is low-key but continues to accumulate wealth for the Heineken family, said: "We are interested in growth, but not at any cost."

This excellent and trusted person by Shannon de Carvalho Heineken may be the only person with a foreign surname who can help Shannon de Carvalho Heineken stick to Heineken.

The Lonely Family Myth Keeper

Heineken's headquarters is located at 21 Tweed Wetterling-Plassen Street in Amsterdam. On the walls of the CEO's office in this huge office building, there are portraits of three generations of leaders of Heineken. With a serious expression, he stared at the worker in front of him.

Now there is one more person watching Ruiz, and she is Shannon de Carvalho Heinegan.

Shannon de Carvalho Heinegan is a 50-year-old mother of five.She and her husband, Michelle de Carvalho, who works in an investment bank, live in billionaire London year-round.Michelle de Carvalho is an Olympic skier who is currently a member of Heineken's supervisory committee and vice-chairman of the board of directors of Citigroup in London responsible for investment finance.

As the fourth-generation heir to the Heineken family fortune, Shannon de Carvalho-Heinegan is very different from her elders. She seems to be more willing to insist on her reservation of ownership of Heineken in silence.After acquiring her father's property in 2002, she did not return to the Netherlands to participate in the day-to-day management of the company, and it was usually her husband who spoke on behalf of her and the Heineken family.

Not many people know about Shannon de Carvalho Heineken.

Vuursteen, executive chairman of the board of directors of Heineken Holdings, said that Shannon de Carvalho Heineken's personality is a bit like her mother's. She has a good character, speaks slowly and softly, is very elegant and has a very temperament. Vuursteen believes that Shannon de Carvalho-Heineken is still very positive about taking the helm of Heineken.

Far from the Netherlands, Shannon de Carvalho-Heineken faced many challenges, including whether he could continue the close relationship his father had established with the company's other new shareholders, and ensure that Heineken beer was important to the family. traditional meaning.

After the death of Heineken Sr. in 2002, there was much media speculation that Shannon de Carvalho Heineken might consider selling her 50.005% stake in Heineken, but she did not.

Shannon de Carvalho Heineken has repeatedly stated in public that the independence of Heineken must be maintained."We are responsible for Heineken's past, present and future," she told Heineken Holdings shareholders, declaring, through her husband, de Carvalho, that there was absolutely no prospect of selling any of the company's assets. sex, he said: "Our mission is to hand over a healthy company to the next generation."

In addition to continuing the family business, Shannon de Carvalho Heineken also has to face a beer world that is completely different from her parents. Since 2000, the world beer industry is ushering in a new era.Many professional organizations predict that the world's brewing industry will complete the last stage of mergers and acquisitions within a few years. In the beer market, only the largest beer companies will remain in the world in a few years, and the competition at that time will be like a battle. "A Ball for Elephants".And as the new leader of Heineken, is she capable enough to participate in this elephant's dance?

In addition, unlike many rich people who manage their own businesses, Shannon de Carvalho Heinegan chose professional managers.As Heineken's largest shareholder, Heineken CEO Anthony Ruiz needs to hear from the new leader when making any major decisions, and she has the final say.Will such an operation lead to the final correct opinion being changed by capital?

For the future, Shannon de Carvalho Heineken remains optimistic.She believes that the 142-year-old Heineken company has a good tradition, and the development of her company is "like pouring beer. Although it is poured slowly, it is still possible to win in the end."

Hopefully, this is where the adherents of this Dutch beer myth end up.Dad created a platform, but it was me who did the work.

(End of this chapter)