Brahma gives way to 'dream' team

Inbev UK has relegated its Brahma Brazilian lager from a core "drive brand" status in the UK.

The move is part of the company's increasing focus on what Inbev UK president Stuart MacFarlane called a "dream partnership" of Stella Artois and Beck's.

Brahma was launched by Inbev UK in 2005 with a £5 million marketing budget, and was being advertised in cinemas as recently as last autumn.

At the time of its launch, it was highlighted by MacFarlane, then head of take-home for the company, as one of three global brands - alongside Beck's and Stella - that would most feel the weight of Inbev's marketing investment in the UK.

But MacFarlane said at a recent press conference: "Brahma is slightly more defocused than it was before. That's not to say it hasn't been a success but we're going to take a different approach in responding to consumer trends in innovation on Stella Artois and Beck's."

A new 4% abv Stella is

due to hit shelves from August.

OLN's 2007 Beer Report showed a 4% drop in Brahma sales in the take-home trade

and the brand being overtaken by Tiger Beer and Inbev's own Leffe brand.

Brahma was named as a "brand to watch" by the Superbrands organisation in 2006.