Original Ale and Celtic Beer is one thing but New Zealand Lager must have the early Monteith's brewers squirming. I love Monteith's branding and I love the product. As the brand manager, I worked on Monteith's from the heartland when I took it from a West Coast oddity in the DB line up to a true specialised alternate brown beer. Back then we proposed launching it in an eloquent screen-printed bottle as a boutique - that was turned down because of a 'national brand strategy' – oh how things have changed.
My issue is that the people at DB Breweries (Monteith's owners) have gone from focus to greed. The brand seems to have done well as a 'mass-boutique', positioning on its authentic West Coast origins and its crafting of a very likable beer range. Now they've launched 'Monteith's New Zealand Lager' and all of a sudden the brand focus is shifted from authentic west coast to premium national lager, including jumping on the naturally brewed band-wagon!
The brand gurus are quick to point to big brand disasters after the fact but slow to predict mistakes before they happen. Well I predict this latest addition to the Monteith's family won't work because it's not focused on the brand's core success factors.
It's not in sync with the brand's mana of authentic crafting of real beers. The new billboards and glossy magazine adverts even highlight the international medal haul; dragging this product further from its focus. I suspect that the large budget mass media campaign, which Monteith's hasn't had to resort to before, is more about a strategic pincher move at Steinlager's Pure campaign than an honest line extension. I just doubt that any short term gains will outweigh the long term degradation in Monteith's brand mana.
