1. MN319 E-Marketing
Market & Digital Review of the Alcohol Sector in Ireland
(Beer & Cider)
Group Members:
Adam Leon
Orla Finglas
Emma Slevin
Adam Wheatley
Aisling McEvoy O’Connor

2. Introduction
We researched the alcohol market sector in Ireland,
focusing on the following beer and cider companies.
•Heineken
•Bulmer's Ireland
•Guinness
•Carlsberg
•Budweiser

3. Market Background
• The Irish alcohol industry is a multi-billion euro industry, in 2012
the market was worth €6.390 billion.
• The main alcohol producers in Ireland are Diageo, C&C Group,
Heineken Ireland and Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard who produce
various alcohol beverages such as Guinness, Budweiser, Carlsberg,
Heineken and Bulmers Ireland.
• The on-license alcohol sector in Ireland continued to decline in
2012 with growth in off-licence sales. Alcohol brands must be more
competitive due to increased supermarket alcohol brand sales.
• The market was also hit with an increase in the level of VAT from
21% to 23% in January 2012
• Early indicators for 2013 for bar sales from the Retail Sales Index
are disappointing. In January 2013 bar sales volume dropped by 6.9
% compared to January 2012.

4. The 5 Brands Reviewed
• Budweiser was established in 1876, by Anheuser-Busch in Saint Louis, Missouri,
and is part of the Diageo Group. It is America’s most popular beer along with
international popularity.
• Bulmers Ireland was founded by William Magner in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in
the 1930’s and is now part of the C&C Group. It is the leading Cider brand in Ireland.
• Carlsberg was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1847 by J.C Jacobson, and is
now part of the Diageo Group. It is a successful beer in the Irish market.
• Guinness was established in 1759 by Arthur Guinness, at St James’s Gate
Brewery, Dublin, and is now part of the Diageo Group. Guinness has a strong Irish
heritage and has become the highest selling beer in the Irish market.
• Heineken was established in 1873 by Gerard Adrian Heineken. The brand
orginates in The Netherands, and is brewed in Co. Cork ,Ireland. It is a popular beer
in Ireland.

5. Website Review
• Each website has an “age gateway” for the purpose of confirming the
visitor is the legal drinking age.
• All of the websites convey their brand’s distinctive colours making the
sites attractive. They all too have information about their products and
the background of their brand.
• The Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg and Bulmers Ireland websites are user
friendly and easy to navigate through. However the Budweiser site is
cluttered with many images and dark colouring, making viewing and
navigating difficult.
• Guinness, Bulmers Ireland and Carlsberg links their website to their
Facebook and Twitter pages. Heineken and Budweiser only link their
Facebook page to their websites.

6. Social Media Review
Twitter: Guinness Ireland has the highest number of followers on Twitter
with Bulmers Ireland having the lowest. Budweiser started their page in
January 2013 and have 13,758 followers, they have increased their
followers by promoting their involvement in the Super Bowl and their
competition to help name the baby Clydesdale. The best company for
tweeting and interacting is Guinness Ireland with over 2,400 tweets.
Facebook: In terms of the number of fans, Heineken is the superior page,
followed by Budweiser, then Carlsberg, Guinness and lastly, Bulmers
Ireland. While Heineken has the greatest fan base and reach Budweiser is
more engaging with their fan base with the highest PTAT rating.
YouTube: Heineken has the largest number of subscribed users, while
Bulmers Ireland has the lowest. Carlsberg, Guinness, Heineken and
Budweiser all have links to their other social media sites or their websites.
Bulmers Ireland fails to link social media accounts to the channel.

7. Mobile Review
• Bulmers Ireland, Budweiser and Heinekens’ mobile websites have the
same content as on a computer with a responsive design. Having a
responsive design with a clear layout makes the sites easier to navigate
through the mobile site.
• The Guinness mobile website has the same content as on a computer but
does not have a responsive design and requires you to zoom in.
• The Carlsberg mobile website is different to that on a computer; the
homepage directs you to either their Facebook page or YouTube page.
• Heineken, Carlsberg, Budweiser and Guinness all have links to their social
media sites on their mobile site but Bulmers Ireland does not.

8. Mobile App Review
• Bulmers Ireland’s App provides the user with event listings along with updates on
competitions once you’ve scanned a bottle of Bulmer's Original or Light.
• Carlsberg’s most popular App was for the Euro 2012, and allowed fans access to
fixtures, highlights, news and interviews during this competition.
• Budweiser’s App enabled fans to contribute to the FA cup man of the match, and also
displayed fixtures, results and starting times of these matches.
• Guinness’s App informed fans of the simple 6 steps to “make the perfect pint.”
• Heineken’s App which runs with UEFA Cup, allows interaction with others worldwide
to anticipate the outcomes in matches such as goals, penalties and corners.

9. Facebook Boss Metrics Report

10. Top Facebook Posts Per Firm

11. Twitter Boss Metrics Report

12. Top Tweets Per Firm

13. Report Promotion
We promoted our report on various social media sites:
•Personal Blogs via Word Press
•Twitter accounts
•Facebook
•YouTube
•LinkedIn

14. Conclusion
• A strong online presence is important in today’s highly competitive
markets, in particular social media.
• A strong digital media strategy increases brand awareness.
• All 5 brands have a presence online with areas of strength and
weakness.
• Overall Bulmers Ireland is the weakest across all online media
platforms.
• Heineken have the strongest presence online, with the highest
number of fans across combined social media platforms.
• Budweiser also has a strong presence as they have high levels of
engagement as per their number of fans. However presentation can
let them down, e.g. their website is cluttered and not user friendly.
• Guinness appear to target the Irish market best, through
sponsorship and promotion and they have the most Irish social
media accounts.

15. YouTube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcxHNXJKtBs