The company hopes that the launch of Eiken Artois will boost its flagship Stella Artois brand, which has had its premium positioning called into question recently following the news that Young's was delisting it from its pubs for not been premium enough.
Eiken Artois is a 4.6% ABV oak-aged premium lager, which is brewed using hand-picked hops. It is brewed in Belgium to an original Continental recipe but uses a new oak-aged maturation technique.
It launches exclusively in Tesco this week and will be supported by a heavyweight national press campaign created by Lowe over the summer months.
Inbev said it will also benefit from a halo effect from the multi-million pound marketing investment behind the Artois family in 2008 under the 'Pass on Something Good' campaign.
Steve Kitching, managing director, commercial and field operations at InBev UK, claimed that the premium positioning of Eiken Artois would have a 'positive impact' on the way consumers relate to Stella Artois by reinforcing key measures of brand equity.
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