Inbev names Stella marketing chief
Anheuser-Busch Inbev (AB Inbev) has promoted James Watson to oversee marketing for its flagship Stella Artois brand in Western Europe as the drinks maker looks to build on the recent resurgence of the brand.
Watson moves over from his position as marketing director for Budweiser and replaces Adam Oakley, who has taken up a role in the US. The company is recruiting to replace Watson at Budweiser.
AB Inbev has repositioned the Stella Artois brand over the past two years with a Sixties-style campaign that pushes the brand’s environmental credentials.
The rethink helped drive “double digit” growth for the brand in 2009.
The brewer also reported in May that the Budweiser’s sponsorship of the 2010 World Cup helped boost sales of the brand in the first quarter of the year by 40%.
