S&N ups UK marketing spend by 10%
Scottish Courage is to boost the marketing and advertising spend on its brand portfolio by ten per cent this year.
The bulk of that spend will go on its flagship brand Foster’s, which will see its budget increase from &£35m to &£40m. John Smith’s, whose ads are fronted by comedian Peter Kay, will be allocated an extra &£2m, taking its advertising and marketing budget to &£22m.
And Kronenbourg is set to benefit from an additional &£3m – taking its budget to &£18m.
Strongbow, bought by parent company Scottish & Newcastle in 2003 as part of the acquisition of Bulmers, will be backed by a &£20m marketing budget this year, to help to raise its profile.
Interim figures announced last week showed that sales of the brewer’s four main UK brands – Foster’s, John Smith’s, Kronenbourg and Strongbow – rose by 4.5 per cent last year, on the back of a 20 per cent rise in ad spending, the John Smith’s sponsorship of the Grand National and the same brand’s successful television campaign.
The strong trading performance in the UK helped the company achieve an 11 per cent rise in underlying profits: group profit, before one-off items, was &£373m, up from &£336m in 2003.
Other Scottish Courage brands include Woodpecker cider, Courage Best, Newcastle Brown Ale and McEwan’s Export.
