Failure Case Study: Sapporo Green Aroma; The Challenges Of Targeting A Specific Consumer Group In A Shrinking Beer Market

Summary
Japans beer market has been seeing an ongoing decline, with a -1.36% CAGR between 2006 and 2015 despite marketers efforts such as creating a new segment, new genre beer, to offer cheaper prices. New genre beer achieved a fast take-off on launch in 2004. However, the new genre brew market has been driven by value-conscious consumers who were existing beer segment users, and the debut of the new segment did not lead to the growth of the total volume of the overall beer sector. The main beer users are getting older and shifting towards health-consciousness, while beer manufacturers have been struggling to create beer products that appeal to young consumers. Japans beer market is a highly difficult place to achieve growth.

Key Findings
-  Sapporo Green Aroma is a new genre beer targeting women, with a botanical aroma and reduced carbohydrates. However, it failed to appeal to the target audience, and was withdrawn from store shelves only three months after launch.

- Japans beer market, including the new genre beer segment, has matured, making it difficult for a new product with no significant unique selling point to succeed. Japans beer players need to develop new flavors and styles for future survival.


Synopsis
Failure Case Study: Sapporo Green Aroma is part of Canadeans Successes and Failures research and explores the failure of Sapporo Green Aroma new genre beer in Japan.

- WHAT? Understand the product concept and positioning of Sapporo Green Aroma new genre beer.

- WHY? Discover why Sapporo Green Aroma did not appeal to its target audience.

- TAKE-OUT: Learn from the failure of Sapporo Green Aroma, and discuss what elements beer marketers should look at in a shrinking market.


Reasons To Buy
- Reduce the risk of failure by learning from brands/products that have under-performed: failed innovation can severely impact profit and reputation.

- Understand the relevant consumer trends and attitudes that drive and support innovation success so you can tap into what is really impacting the industry.

- Gain a broader appreciation of the fast-moving consumer goods industry by gaining insights from both within and outside of your sector.

- Access valuable strategic take-outs to help direct future decision-making and inform new product development.