AmBev takes space of competitors in mixed alcoholic drinks

Most manufacturers of alcoholic beverages mixed (join distillate or beer to juices, teas and sodas) lost sales for Ambev, owner of Skol Beats, in 2016. The brewery has tripled your market share in a year and surpassed, for the first time, the contestant Smirnoff Ice, owned by Diageo, taking the lead.
The mixed alcoholic drinks advanced 41.5 percent last year, to 112,300,000 litres, against the rest of the industry. The following segment of 12.77 billion liters of beer sold in 2016, but it gets a share of this market.
The brazilian industry of liquor sold 13.9 billion liters in 2016, low of 3.2% compared with the previous year, according to consulting firm Euromonitor. Before the economic crisis, consumers reduced their trips to bars and restaurants, and even the home consumption. Beer sales fell back 3.4%, while the industry of distillates declined 4.1% and the wine market shrank 3.1% in 2016, by volume.
Ambev has strengthened lines of Skol with the malt-based drinks Skol Beats Secret, Skol Beats Skol Beats Spirit and Senses. Turnover rose by double digits and came to represent 2% of the total sales of beer in the year.
"Is a trademark, which from 2014 incoming was restoring to be experimentation, and now it has achieved a good distribution, undergoes a natural curve of increased consumption," says Maria Fernanda Albuquerque, marketing director of Skol.
The participation of Ambev in the category of mixed alcoholic drinks went up 26 percentage points in 2016, to 39%. Smirnoff vodka-based Ice and carbonated water, released in Brazil in 2000-fell just over ten points, to 28%. The company Müller de Bebidas, which produces the 51Ice, fell five points to 11.5%. Gathered, other manufacturers have shrunk 10 points, with almost 22 percent of the market, according to Euromonitor.
"The vast majority of participants lost sales for Ambev," says Angelica Salado, analyst at Euromonitor. "The price and promotions and the product well positioned at points of sales contributed to the market gain of Ambev," he says. With the sponsorship of festivals of electronic music, digital media, marketing and a strong brand, Skol brewery attracted a crowd of young people under the age of 30 years. "Ambev got away from the stigma of a category for women," says Angelica.
In the category of mixed drinks, Skol Beats dispute with Smirnoff Ice. The 51Ice fruit mix with cachaça 51. Between the main rivals in beer, only Heineken has some options with mixtures, as Kaiser Radler (lemon juice) and Desperados (mixing beer, tequila and lime).
The category of mixed drinks should grow at an average rate of 19% by 2021, according to Euromonitor. In five years, will represent more than 56% of sales of cachaça in total volume, taking place of the distillates.
The Skol Beats built space among young people before departure for parties, the so-called "heats up", in the House. "Other occasions of consumption also favor the category-shows and street blocks Carnival, for example, do not allow the sale of glass bottles, so the mixed drink is an alternative with good cost benefit," says the analyst. Ambev must position the Skol Beats Skol brand closest in new campaigns.