UK: InBev closes Belfast marketing department

InBev has closed down its marketing department in Belfast’s Glen Road brewery following a review of its marketing function in the UK and Ireland.

A restructuring was announced last October and as part of that it was decided to centralise the brand marketing elements of the business. This resulted in three brand managers within the Belfast/Dublin-based marketing department leaving at the end of 2006 and one relocating to Scotland.
In addition, InBev Ireland’s Marketing Controller, based in Belfast, has decided to leave the company and will depart at the end of March.

“InBev is a global business and believe that a global approach to the marketing of their brands is the most effective method to ensure the continued growth and success of their global brands,” explained InBev Ireland’s Managing Director Tom McCusker, “Therefore by embracing the global approach and implementing global creativity it removed the need to devise and design Irish-specific campaigns thereby eliminating the need to re-invent the wheel.

“Ultimately this meant that the company has been able to centralise the brand elements of marketing without any impact on the brands. “This move also brings additional benefits from the synergies of having all brands marketing people together in one place, in this case at InBev's UK and Ireland HQ in Luton.

“However marketing at the point of connection where we directly interface with the customer in their outlets will remain in Ireland. This role will be looked after by two people, one based in Belfast and one in Dublin”.
Commenting on the changes, Tom McCusker added, “Our experience has shown that a single brand campaign travels well and with very few exceptions needs little adjustment.

“In addition, the cost-benefits of having global brand campaigns allows us to reduce non-working capital spends associated with designing local creatives and in effect spend more on supporting our brands.”

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