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Another matter to address was the visibility of the brand in bars and clubs.

In the Netherlands, the bottle has traditionally been kept in the freezer, as

befits the Dutch slogan ‘Only if it’s ice and ice cold’. Now, the Jägermeister Tap

Machine has been introduced in Europe. Invented by Jägermeister importer

Sidney E. Frank and originally developed in the United States, Frank was looking

for a way to serve Jägermeister at the coldest possible temperatures without

having to banish the unique bottle to a freezer out of sight. The bottle is hung

on the tap, and produces a single shot at the perfect temperature of -20º C.

This innovation is backed up by a line of cool Jägermeister products, includ-

ing shot glasses (which replace the former tulip glasses). Visibility is already

increasing thanks to the tap machine: the average business sells ten times as

many Jägermeisters with it in place.

Not so frigid after all

Another step has been taken with a new promotional team of around 30 cool,

tough and sexy girls known as the Jägerettes. They go to bars and clubs to

promote the brand. Promotional activities will also take place in liquor stores

twice a year and at large events in summer, such as dance and water sports

events (like Jägermeister Wakeboarding). Bert de Winter, brandmanager for

Jägermeister in the Netherlands is very proud of a new key feature of these

activities called the Jägermeister Moving Ice-Bar Experience, a huge Kenworth

truck with an ice bar, which will also make an appearance on popular beaches

during the summer months. This, the world’s first moving ice bar, uses more

than 5 tonnes of ice. Yet, it’s not only the drinks that are cold: everything

inside is made of ice – from the stools to the tables, etc. The bar is finished

off with a high-end sound system and plasma TV to get into the Jägermeister

mood! Again, the emphasis here is on Jägermeister as a drink for all seasons.

The expected results of this repositioning progress, supported by changing

all communication to prospective buyers, are a double digit increase in sales.

Eventually, the plan is that the brand will lose its well-worn and ‘boring’ image

and become a cool, masculine and edgy brand. In five years, Jägermeister will

have increased its visibility and be a desired brand for men between the ages

of 20 and 35. Perhaps frigidity rules after all. Just not in the bedroom.

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As cool as ice

Wanted: Younger men who like it frigid…

The Shorter Oxford dictionary defines onomatopoeia as “the formation of a

word by an imitation of the sound associated with the thing or action”. Or, in

plain English, words that sound like their meaning. Take ‘buzz’, for example.

Or ‘sizzle’. Besides being one of the most difficult words to spell in the English

language – thank goodness for spell checks! – it is also used as a tool in ono-

matopoeic poems, especially for children. Occasionally, words for things are

created from representations of the sounds these objects make. In English,

for example, there is the universal fastener, which is named for the onomato-

poeic of the sound it makes: the zip.

A term that seems to be missing in the English language [Ed. please cor-

rect me if I’m wrong] is one that includes a group of words that induce the

feeling of the word’s meaning. For example; just mention the word ‘frigid’,

and it sends a chill down the spine of many a man and it’s certainly not the

kindest or most welcome of denominations for a woman. Yet, this is what

Jägermeister is after: men who like it frigid. Except: they want it in a different

sense – as a homonym of the word – as in cold.

Jägermeister is a product by Mast-Jägermeister, the world’s largest seller of

herbal liquors. Founded in 1878 by Wilhelm Mast in Wolfenbüttel, Germany,

Jägermeister was introduced in 1935 by Wilhelm’s son Curt. The drink was an

instant success and Curt immediately registered the Jägermeister name, the

label and the Hubertus deer head as a trademark.

The drink is found in the bitters segment and despite great sales in 2006 (76.5

million 70 cl bottles in over 74 countries – an increase of 14.3% and making

it the 9th most-sold spirit in the world), the company had come to something

of a standstill on the Dutch market, with Jägermeister being drunk on special

occasions and in the winter, and left relatively untouched by younger

segments. Interestingly, the brand has a cool image in the USA and is mostly

drunk in the summer. Clearly, such seasonal barriers had to be crossed in

the Netherlands if its growth was to continue. Jägermeister needed an

image makeover: From corny and somewhat old fashioned to cool, masculine

(males 20-35) and edgy. In short, the brand needed to reposition itself on the

market.

Cool and curvaceous

Not wishing to lose or confuse the traditional target group of Jägermeister

drinkers, the label has not been significantly altered. The black background

with orange accents remains prominent. But the repositioning process did

see the bottle undergo a metamorphosis for the first time in 54 years, with

a much more rounded, curvaceous shape. This is the most visible sign yet of

Jägermeister’s intention to move gradually towards a cooler and more mas-

culine image.

CEO/Managing Director Hasso Kampfe until 31-12-2007,

then Paolo Dell’ Antonio and Jack Blecker | Number of

employees: 500 (distribution in the Netherlands and some

other countries via Maxxium) | Company turnover €390m |

Brand values cool, masculine, edgy | Brand promise ‘Only

when it’s ice and ice cold’ (Netherlands) | Target group

Males 20-35 | Primary advertising media 60-70% below-

the-line activities, 30% above-the-line

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