Stella Cidre
This is the most logical line extension on the planet, or is it?
Stella Cidre. A new apple cider beer from Stella ... You know, the brand with the cool glass.
I don't know what to make of it, quite honestly. On the one hand, you've got an iconic mega brand capitalizing on a hot trend ... cider beers are all the rage in the UK and they've been not-so-slowly making their way stateside.
On the other hand, you have an iconic mega brand capitalizing on a trend. While Stella is hot in and of itself, I wouldn't consider it trendy. It's more sophisticated and classic than that.
Apple ciders are hot, so why wouldn't you? But it just feels awful coming from Stella, and I can't really articulate it. It feels wildly opportunistic, which isn't what Stella is about, at least not to me. I first thought that Stella was from Italy, and wondered if Italy has apples ... I don't know. I've since discovered that it's from Belgium ... do they have apples in Belgium? I don't know!
We were just talking about Stella in my NYU class last weekend ... the students were marveling about the brand's leadership in a very cluttered category. I guess I expected more. Not just following a trend but leading one. Like they did with launching a truly high end sophisticated beer. Arguably, the first really sophisticated beer. And they changed their glass to a white wine glass - why wouldn't they keep their signature glass? Their glass put them on the map, at least from a marketing perspective.
I honestly don't know what to make of it ... do apples have that much of an impact?
What's your experience? Jim.
Stella Cidre. A new apple cider beer from Stella ... You know, the brand with the cool glass.
I don't know what to make of it, quite honestly. On the one hand, you've got an iconic mega brand capitalizing on a hot trend ... cider beers are all the rage in the UK and they've been not-so-slowly making their way stateside.
On the other hand, you have an iconic mega brand capitalizing on a trend. While Stella is hot in and of itself, I wouldn't consider it trendy. It's more sophisticated and classic than that.
Apple ciders are hot, so why wouldn't you? But it just feels awful coming from Stella, and I can't really articulate it. It feels wildly opportunistic, which isn't what Stella is about, at least not to me. I first thought that Stella was from Italy, and wondered if Italy has apples ... I don't know. I've since discovered that it's from Belgium ... do they have apples in Belgium? I don't know!
We were just talking about Stella in my NYU class last weekend ... the students were marveling about the brand's leadership in a very cluttered category. I guess I expected more. Not just following a trend but leading one. Like they did with launching a truly high end sophisticated beer. Arguably, the first really sophisticated beer. And they changed their glass to a white wine glass - why wouldn't they keep their signature glass? Their glass put them on the map, at least from a marketing perspective.
I honestly don't know what to make of it ... do apples have that much of an impact?
What's your experience? Jim.