Castle Lite: A brand narrative of imagined communities and included consumers
A brand narrative of imagined communities and included consumers
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- Articles
- Submited: October 15, 2022
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Published: October 17, 2022
Abstract
One of South Africa’s most successful recent branding initiatives is the rebranding and repositioning
of SABMiller’s Castle Lite beer. Light beer branding has a long and successful history in the United
States, where brand names like Bud Light have long held a significant market share. However,
sales of Castle Lite were low, leading into 2009. SABMiller’s approach to bolster sales was to
build a narrative around the brand that moved away from the concept of ‘light’, or ‘low calorie’,
or even ‘low alcohol’ and reframe the consumer perception of this beer around the symbolic
value of ‘Extra Cold Refreshment’. This article examines the means through which Castle Lite
consumers were invited to form a unique, imagined community of beer drinkers through a number
of media formats. It offers advertisers, academics and brand managers a concise case study
that illustrates how a failing brand can be relatively quickly repositioned to dramatically increase
market penetration, consumer brand knowledge and overall sales.
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How to Cite
Castle Lite: A brand narrative of imagined communities and included consumers. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 33(2), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v33i2.1637
