Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 24 August 2019 | The Grocer | 29
its staff count by the end of the year. “Their scope is to
listen to what’s happening on social media and to help
us to find ways to connect our brands’ point of view to
what people are actually talking about.”
It’s early days, but DraftLine has already created a
major national campaign for Budweiser, called ‘Heart
of a King’, which ran alongside the Women’s World Cup,
drawing on the famous speech by Queen Elizabeth I
and featuring stars such as actor Naomie Harris and
singer Jessie Ware.
BBG is also changing its approach to bringing new
products to market. “We are piloting more and aiming
to bring more pilots to market so we can learn, or fail,
or scale up faster,” says Lindenberg. The UK, she adds,
“is a very interesting market to do this in because of the
amount of income available”.
Much of this is happening through ZX Ventures, AB
InBev’s incubator arm. And some of it isn’t even hap-
pening in the beer category. Take ‘Sincerely Sabella’,
the blood orange spritz RTD it quietly launched last
month, eschewing the months of marketing and brand
testing that usually go into a new product launch, opt-
ing to let the market decide whether it works or not.
“We are piloting draft cocktails with them, we’re
piloting energy drinks – it’s a way for us to learn about
trends and help us pilot test what’s working,” says
Lindenberg. “Then one day we can scale it up with the
big machine.”
Meanwhile, Budweiser Brewing Group’s craft offer
continues to grow. But rather than buying new brands,
recent acquisitions – such as distribution ser vice Beer
Bods and much of recently collapsed retailer The Bottle
Shop’s assets – focus on boosting retail and distribu-
tion capacity.
Does all this mean Budweiser Brewing Group might
one day be considered a drinks company rather than
just a brewer?
“Look,” says Lindenberg. “The consumer is the boss.
And I don’t know if serving the consumer means we
have to go outside beer. But yes, it is something we’re
experimenting on.”snapshot
Name: Paula Lindenberg
Age: 43
Job: President, UK &
Ireland, Budweiser
Brewing Group
Status: Married with two
children
Best business advice
received: Focus on where
the growth is coming
from. Some people
think it’s great to be a
specialist in one function
or area, but I think going
outside your comfort
zone and being opento new experiences is
what’s going to take you
further.
Last meal: BBQ with beer
and lots of friends. It’s
not about the meat or
the food, it’s about the
mindset and the mood.
If I could share a beer
with one person:
Gilberto Gil. He’s a
Brazilian musician. I
grew up, learned to date
and party, all listening to
him. He’s been a big part
of my life.