POINTE BLANCHE--Heineken has launched new packaging and a label designed specifically for the island. The new front label will be found on its iconic 25cl green bottle and commemorates its long-standing involvement with St. Maarten’s largest sailing and music event, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
The modern and progressive design features the event’s new logo, which was launched in 2015. Almost every Heineken beer consumed on the island will be in the new special-edition St. Maarten Heineken Regatta bottle by the end of January.
The new St. Maarten Heineken Regatta packaging is designed to express its “local relevance” based on Heineken’s key brand principles.
“We are super excited to be recognised by Heineken globally to have a special front label designed for St. Maarten. I have only seen global events like the UEFA Champions League and the James Bond movies commemorated in this way,” said John Leone, Commercial Director of International Liquor and Tobacco Trading NV, official distributor of Heineken beer in St. Maarten. “The new design is progressive and iconic and will be clearly recognisable on the retailer’s shelf.”
The new bottle design includes two immediately-obvious features: the prominence of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta sail logo and the bold letters of “ST. MAARTEN.” The outer packaging is a handy 12-pack carton featuring the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta grid artwork as well as local and international sailors and musicians enjoying the 2015 edition. To accompany the special edition bottles, International Liquors also has produced a special beer coaster to present the perfect serve for an ice-cold Heineken.
“Packaging design is a vital element of a brand’s overall experience. Design generally is crucial for most products as it creates appeal for consumers. I believe that design is the ‘premiumness’ of this era,” said Heineken Global Design and Concept Manager Mark van Itersen.
“When it comes to packaging, the design is the most tangible point of contact between a brand and consumers – they can literally feel it. We are quite proud of this new bottle label design, created together with the international Heineken brand team and the St. Maarten regional team.”
An appreciation of design has always run through Heineken. “Our founder, Gerard Adriaan Heineken, chose to use a green bottle rather than the more typical brown one commonly used before 1900s. That’s a century-old example of brand design within Heineken,” said Mark.
Sticking to its winning formula, the new St. Maarten Heineken Regatta bottle will contain Premium Heineken Pilsener beer from Heineken’s brewery in the Netherlands. The special edition St. Maarten Heineken Regatta bottle will be launched across all outlets (bars, restaurants, supermarkets, etc.) on the entire island, starting at the end of January. Quantities of the special St. Maarten packaging are limited.
