Heineken, Amstel Light Join Forces for Mardi Gras

White Plains, N.Y. -- The Heineken and Amstel Light brands are joining forces for the Mardi Gras season in what Heineken U.S.A. Inc. company officials are calling one of their largest two-brand promotional programs ever. It's actually an expansion of a promotion that has been growing for the past three years, and includes a variety of on- and off-premise P-O-P materials featuring artwork by the official New Orleans Mardi Gras artist.The program is centered around artwork by Andrea Mistretta that is incorporated into all of the merchandising pieces, according to Kathleen Dunwoody, assistant brand manager for Amstel Light. The art features a masked and feathered reveler on the balcony of a French Quarter mansion holding out bottles of the two brands. She is surrounded by other partygoers.Off-premise P-O-P includes a 100-case spectacular backdrop, a case card, pennant streamers and banners. On-premise P-O-P includes cups, T-shirts, posters, temporary tattoos, beads, cameras and feather masks. The P-O-P materials are supplemented with a sweepstakes program running in conjunction with Stuff magazine. The winner will receive a trip to the 2003 Heineken/Amstel Light Mardi Gras Mansion in New Orleans. The four-day event surrounding the March 4 festivities includes disk jockeys, celebrity visits, giveaways and other activities. The sweepstakes is being promoted in print ads, on radio spots and at the company's Web site."This is probably the largest two-brand promotion that we've done, in terms of the comprehensive nature of taking it to market," says Brian Citron, assistant brand manager for Heineken. "In partnership terms, this certainly is the most integrated and the largest promotion we've done for Mardi Gras," adds Dunwoody.The P-O-P materials focus on the Mistretta artwork rather than the sweepstakes to create more visual impact with less clutter, Dunwoody explains. "It gives the brands more legitimacy, since she is the official Mardi Gras artist," she says. "We didn't want to bastardize the effect of her art by adding sweepstakes details. One of our core values is 'respect,' and we felt this approach respected the art and the artist." The Ryan Partnership, Wilton, Conn., produced and shipped the P-O-P materials to all accounts last month. The Mardi Gras celebration concept began in 2000 as a Midwest regional event, explains Dan Tearno, vice president of corporate affairs. It proved so successful that it expanded to a national event with new elements added in each subsequent year.

Heineken, Amstel Light Join Forces for Mardi Gras

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