Red Stripe looking to become face of live music

Red Stripe is looking to become the face of live music in the UK over the next two years.

Wells & Young's (W&Y), which brews the brand under licence, has unveiled a live music focused marketing strategy in the UK for the Jamaican lager, as the company looks to have the brand in every live music venue over the next two years.

In recent years the beer has been connected with sports ranging from cricket to windsurfing as well as music. However, there has been a suggestion that by going down these alternative routes, the brand has lost its connection with its traditional 18-24 year old core customer base.

Jonathan Kirkham, senior brand manager for Red Stripe is determined to re-establish this connection and bring some growth back to the brand through its sole focus on live music.

"To be honest sales have been treading water for the last three years. In 2007 Red Stripe is going to be re-seeded into the market and it will be positioned as a brand for those people that opt out of the mainstream," he said. "It has got great visibility in the music scene and has had that for years. And it is our vision is to have Red Stripe in every live music venue in the UK by the end of 2009."

Activity this year will range from the inaugural Red Stripe Music Awards, which is for unsigned bands, to smaller pieces of activity. These include the sponsorship of the Bring It On Back programme of live gigs, the Camden Crawl, is a three day music festival in Camden and the Great Escape festival in Brighton.

Added to this W&Y has decided to reintroduce the old straight-edged Red Stripe logo, which had been changed in 2002. And a new "lighthouse"-style font has been unveiled to put into on-trade draught accounts.