Environmental Analysis

First we had to look at the press clippings and annual report of our product and indicate the environmental factors that have a major impact on the marketing policies. Because the head office of the brand Amstel is Heineken, I looked at the website of Heineken and their annual report. On the Heineken N.V. 2016 half year results, Jean-François van Boxmeer, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board comments that the performance on the markets of Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe remained challenging. On the other hand, the performance on the key developing markets like Vietnam and Mexico was really strong. So the competition has a major impact on the marketing policies. “We are convinced that our well-balanced global footprint, sustained investment in brands and innovation, and focus on the premium segment continue to give us a unique competitive advantage to win in our markets.’’ (Heineken, 2016)

Also social and cultural forces have a major impact on the marketing policies. Because through social and cultural forces thought patterns and lifestyles will be influenced, which can be a disadvantage for a company as Heineken. If for example your lifestyle includes to drink another beer brand, then it is a disadvantage for Heineken, so it impact the marketing policies of Heineken.

Then I found two tables on CBS Statline that give relevant data about the external environment for my product. I found the following tables:

In the table Population; sex, age and nationality there is information about which nationalities live in the Netherlands. This can be important because in some cultures it is not allowed or no habit to drink alcohol, so these nationalities have impact on the consumption of Amstel. (CBS Statline, 2015)

In the table Consumer prices; price index there is information of the CPI over the years for different beers. This is important because the CPI shows the change of price over time, and the change of price is very important for the competitive position of the company. (CBS Statline, 2016)

At last I had to look at the influence of the social, cultural and religious differences in the Netherlands on the brand Amstel. In the Netherlands there are quite a lot of social, cultural and religious differences. You have several religions in the Netherlands, like for example Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism etc. These all have influence on the consumption of the product Amstel, because in most religions it is not allowed to drink alcohol, so they don’t even consume any Amstel. There are also a lot of different cultures in the Netherlands, which also influence the consumption of Amstel, because in some cultures it is not allowed to drink. But in the Dutch culture it is very normal to drink a beer with friends, family, when going out or sitting at a restaurant, so this has a good influence on the consumption of Amstel. The social differences in the Netherlands also influence the consumption, because older people may drink less alcohol than younger people. (CountryReports, 2016)

Bibliography

CBS Statline. (2015, August 12). Population; sex, age and nationality, 1 January. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from CBS Statline: http://statline.cbs.nl/Statweb/publication/?DM=SLEN&PA=03743ENG&D1=1&D2=119-125&D3=a&D4=17-19&LA=EN&VW=T

CBS Statline. (2016, October 6). Consumer prices; price index 2015=100. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from CBS Statline: http://statline.cbs.nl/Statweb/publication/?DM=SLEN&PA=83131eng&D1=0-1,4-5&D2=78-81&D3=(l-39)-l&LA=EN&VW=T

CountryReports. (2016). Netherlands Facts and Culture. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from CountryReports: http://www.countryreports.org.saxion.idm.oclc.org/country/Netherlands/facts.htm

Heineken. (2016, August 1). Heineken N.V. reports 2016 half year results. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from The Heineken Company: http://www.theheinekencompany.com/media/media-releases/press-releases/2016/08/2032068