What could an 80s beer brand teach political leaders about reinventing your brand?

Political parties are faced with the challenge of re-inventing themselves every few years in order to reconnect with both their core voters, whilst appealing to new, and undecided ones, particularly as the clock ticks down to a General Election.

It can also be a similar problem for major businesses, and their brands, as they look to keep step with changing consumer tastes and make sure their products and services, and what they offer and stand for, are still in tune with what their target audience wants to buy.

Imagine then the conundrum for the beer entrepreneurs who took the decision in 2016 to bring the once much loved Hofmeister brand out of extinction and re-invent and re-launch it into a completely different beer market – some 13 years after its previous owners, Heineken, had closed it down and withdrawn it from the market.

Seven years later there could be something for all businesses, brand owners, and, yes, political leaders, to learn from how they have transformed Hofmeister from being the bland, mass produced beer brand that found fame in the 1980s and 1990s, to being voted the Best Lager in the World (IWSC 2017) and winner of countless other top beer awards with its revamped new formula as an authentic Bavarian slow brewed Helles lager, made in accordance to the 1516 German beer purity laws.

The new look Hofmeister has arguably achieved more than its new founders, Richard Longhurst and Spencer Chambers, thought was possible when they bought the brand off Heineken and set off in their car to try and find a Bavarian brewer capable of giving them a beer that would help catapult it back into the UK beer market.

But they also had the vision, and confidence that this once Top 5 beer brand could win the hearts of beer drinkers looking for authentic premium lagers to drink. A quality beer that could both appeal to those who nostalgically remembered it from the first time round, and new, younger drinkers who were discovering it for the first time.

A confidence backed up by independent research from Yonder, commissioned by Hofmeister, that shows it is now the fourth most recognised brand by UK consumers in the premium world lager category.

It’s now winning listings and places on premium bars and pubs across the country and just been signed up by Loungers to go into all its 250 plus outlets nationwide.

“It’s just so exciting to see the genuine response we get from people as they see the Hofmeister name on the bar,” said Longhurst. “It’s surprised even us just how much love there is for Hofmeister and to ‘Follow the Bear’ amongst beer drinkers.”

A tagline made famous by the original Hofmeister TV advertising that featured George the Bear who had supposedly come straight out of the Bavarian Forest   wearing a pork pie hat and glaring yellow bomber jacket.

Nearly 40 years later George the Bear is also back with a new revamped, more refined look, complete with iconic trilby hat and leather trousers fit for a GQ fashion shoot, in keeping with the new premium image of Hofmeister’s authentic, slow brewed Bavarian Helles lager. The new digitally created George has been brought back to life by legendary advertising agency, Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), with an updated tagline “I’m Back. For Classier Beer, Follow the Bear”. George has been seen strutting his stuff on the iconic billboard in Piccadilly Circus and appearing in full page adverts in the Financial Times.

Nick Gill, who worked on the original George the Bear campaign, has been part of BBH’s team responsible for creating a new mature George for the 2020s.

He said: “We live in a very different world now and much of the humour and irreverence about beer advertising that we all loved, has sadly gone. The time has come for a great beer campaign and we’re very excited about it. We had no hesitation in bringing back George. He is a loved icon.”

Spencer Chambers said they want the new Hofmeister and George the Bear to bring back that “personality and a sense of fun and innovation” back into the beer market. He explained: “It’s a big moment for Hofmeister to be able to bring back a grown-up George the Bear. He’s always been the elephant in the room for us. Now he’s back we hope he can help us take Hofmeister from being a new, challenger brand to being the UK’s most loved premium world beer.”

The impact the new Hofmeister has had on the beer market has already seen it attract investment from senior beer and hospitality leaders who have become part of its senior management team, including top executives from Ei Group, Greene King and Camden Town Brewery.

Its premium strategy has seen it achieve over 500% increase in revenues and sales in the last two years as it continues to target the most aspirational and premium venues in the country and take advantage of the near £4 billion world beer category.

A come back strategy Hofmeister hopes will get even more beer drinkers following the new look George down to the local pub. Because if you want ‘classier beer – follow the bear’.

To find out more about Hofmeister and buy online visit www.hofmeister.co.uk.