Russia: Ochakovo brewer targets export markets

Ochakovo, one of Russia’s biggest domestic breweries, has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to help sell its Ochakovo Premium beer and Ochakovsky kvass abroad, Angela Drujinina reports.

Adverts will be broadcasted on RTV across 38 countries and are targeted at local Russian speakers. The campaign will last until the end of September.

“We took the decision to promote two key brands – Ochakovo Premium beer and Ochakovsky kvass. The campaign’s slogan is 'Unusual beer. Unusual traditions’ and Ochakovsky – this is very good kvass,’” said Ochakovo spokesperson Maria Shemyakova, who added that the adverts were partially intended to combat the firm’s usual sales decline in the autumn.

Ochakovo began developing export sales in 2003 and has established markets in 16 countries in Europe and North and South America. The firm exports its whole range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, mainly through trading networks, bars and Russian restaurants.

And the brewer’s sales volume rose by 34.7 per cent in the first third of 2005 thanks to launches in new markets, namely: Israel, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Georgia, and also sales increase in Germany, Greece and Latvia.

“In order to promote our drinks on foreign markets, we place our advertising in the local press, we organise promotions and we take part in special exhibitions and fairs," said Veaceslav Merkulov, Ochakovo sales manager.

RTV, the tv station that will carry Ochakovo’s new adverts, is one of the most popular TV channels, broadcasting Russian programmes for roughly 7.7m Russian viewers all over the world.

Ochakovo is one of the biggest Russian beer manufacturers, controlling seven per cent of the Russian market and 13 per cent of the Moscow market in the last quarter of 2004, according to Business-Analitika.

Ochakovo brand is second after Baltika in Russia, and in Moscow it is joint-first with “Baltika” (both have 11 per cent each). Ochakovo Kvass has 71 per cent of the Moscow market.

In 2004, Ochakovo’s sales volume rose 7.4 per cent to 755,3m litres. Beer sales increased 4.3 per cent to reach 554,5m litres. The company also sold 88m litres of non-alcoholic drinks, boosted by natural kvass, which saw a 27,7 per cent increase. Export sales rose 12,7 per cent, though the volume was not disclosed.

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