In 1993, Spanish brewing company Grupo Mahou-San Miguel launched its premium beer San Miguel 1516 based on the principles of the Germanic beer purity law of 1516, which states that beer can only be produced with water, malt, hops and yeast. Over the past ten years, the drink has made a name for itself in Spain as a refreshing beer with a distinctive taste. However, according to the brand, “The previous packaging wasn’t playing the role of a premium flagship in the San Miguel portfolio.” Not only that, the packaging was allowing some buyers to be misled. “Consumers confused San Miguel 1516 with a strong beer whereas it is actually a Pilsen lager,” the brand adds.

Therefore, the company partnered with brand design agency Design Bridge to revamp the beverage’s packaging. The large gold foil label was replaced with the name 1516 embossed on the glass. At the bottom of the bottle, the message, “According to the Law of Purity,” alerts consumers to the brand’s historic brewing technique.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Since the beer’s April launch, there has been a 20 percent increase in volume on the off-trade channel and a 24 percent increase in weighted distribution (from 23 percent to 47 percent). There has also been an increase in brand awareness with a 3 percent increase in Barcelona, 6 percent increase in Madrid and 15 percent in Valencia. According to the brand, “The new design has been tested and the results clearly indicate a significantly higher overall evaluation among consumers, [with] 95 percent rating the new design as good-excellent.” 

CREDITS
Design Bridge, www.designbridge.com