Living Stella online

InBev has launched a new global website for its flagship brand Stella Artois, as the brand owner looks to find new ways to communicate with its global audience.

Following a year's worth of development InBev believes the launch is a quantum leap in terms of what websites can offer their consumers.According to Stella Artois global brand manager Neil Gannon there is more than 90 minutes of footage, digital films and interactive content to keep drinkers interested.

"Our previous brand website was very corporate and traditional," said Gannon. "This exciting new site allows consumers to really live and breathe Stella Artois. It is a revolutionary cinematic experience online and unlike anything else out there."

Asked why the company embarked on this project rather than invest in advertising, Gannon said the popularity of new digital film L'Etranger, which was put up on the old site last year, increased the number of unique users visiting the site from 2,000 a month to an average of 2,000 a day.

"Our consumers were telling us they were going online to get their information - and moreover they were looking for more compelling content," he said.

"With www.stellaartois.com we have delivered this."

InBev launched the site at 6pm last Tuesday with a special web conference - while simultaneously advertising the launch on a digital screen in New York's Times Square.

The brewer has now started an outdoor and press advertising campaign, which will use imagery from the site to push consumers onto the web. "I didn't want a wallflower on my hands - I wanted to drive traffic to it," added Gannon.