the creation and communication of a new corporate identity at anheuser-busch inbev

The creation and communication of a new corporate identity at

Anheuser-Busch InBev

Paper (“scriptie”) submitted in partial fulfilment

of the requirement for the Advanced Master Degree: Multilingual Business Communication, by Sander Laridon

2008-2009

Supervisor: Prof. dr. Geert Jacobs

- 2 -

Description of the internship

Bedrijf

Stagebegeleider Afdeling Taken Talen tijdens de

stage

stageperiode

Anheuser-

Busch InBev

Brouwerijplein

1

3000 Leuven

Kristien Abbeel

/

Laurence

Andrianne

Internal

Communication

Western Europe

(People &

Management)

- Organisatie en

opvolging van interne

evenementen (LPC

meeting, World

Environment Day)

- Redactie en

coördinatie van interne

communicaties voor de

Zone Western Europe

- Presentaties maken

voor de Zone President

Western Europe en voor

de Vice President

People & Management

Hoofdtaal is

Engels.

Daarnaast ook

Nederlands en

Frans voor

gewone

gesprekken op de

werkvloer.

27 april ‘09

Tot

17 augustus

‘09

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All information in this dissertation is confidential to Anheuser-Busch InBev.

No part of this dissertation may be made public, be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any

means, or stored in a database without the prior permission of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

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Word of thanks

For me, this dissertation paper means the end of an extremely interesting but exhausting year. In the

past year, I broadened my vision and mind and acquired knowledge and skills. In addition to this, I

met a lot of interesting people whom it was a pleasure to work with.

My internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev was the acme of my academic studies. It was an exquisite

opportunity to turn the gathered knowledge and theory into practice. As a consequence, I want to

thank the people at Anheuser-Busch InBev, and particularly Kristien Abbeel and the full People &

Management Team, for the opportunities that they offered me.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my parents for their unremitting care and support. In addition, I

want to show my biggest thanks to Emmelien, my girlfriend. The past four months were extremely

interesting but also very hectic and heavy. When I once in a while experienced a hard day, she always

managed to tone me up with her love.

Sander Laridon

Ghent, August 2009

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Index

1. Anheuser-Busch InBev.................................................................................................. - 10 -

1.1 Anheuser-Busch InBev anno 2009 ......................................................................... - 11 -

1.2 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s history ............................................................................ - 13 -

1.2.1 ‘Den Horen’ .................................................................................................... - 13 -

1.2.2 Interbrew ........................................................................................................ - 14 -

1.2.3 InBev ............................................................................................................... - 15 -

1.2.4 Anheuser-Busch InBev.................................................................................... - 16 -

1.3 Company structure ................................................................................................ - 18 -

1.3.1 Global level ..................................................................................................... - 18 -

1.3.2 Zone Western Europe .................................................................................... - 20 -

1.4 Corporate identity ................................................................................................. - 22 -

1.4.1 Mission and strategy: the four pillars ............................................................ - 22 -

1.4.2 Cost-Connect-Win Model ............................................................................... - 26 -

1.4.3 Dream-People-Culture platform .................................................................... - 27 -

1.5 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brands ............................................................................ - 31 -

1.5.1 Marketing & Brand strategy ........................................................................... - 31 -

1.5.2 Brand portfolio and consumer profile ........................................................... - 34 -

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1.6 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s competitors .................................................................... - 41 -

1.6.1 Direct competition ......................................................................................... - 41 -

1.6.2 Indirect competition ....................................................................................... - 43 -

1.6.3 Budget competition ........................................................................................ - 45 -

1.7 SWOT Analysis ....................................................................................................... - 46 -

1.7.1 Strengths ........................................................................................................ - 46 -

1.7.2 Weaknesses .................................................................................................... - 48 -

1.7.3 Opportunities ................................................................................................. - 49 -

1.7.4 Threats ............................................................................................................ - 50 -

2. The creation of a new corporate identity after mergers and acquisitions .................. - 51 -

2.1 Corporate identity, image and culture .................................................................. - 51 -

2.2 Internal communication ........................................................................................ - 56 -

2.2.1 Definition ........................................................................................................ - 56 -

2.2.2 Purposes ......................................................................................................... - 57 -

2.2.3 The interaction between internal communication and corporate identity ... - 59 -

2.3 Adaptation and acculturation in mergers and acquisitions .................................. - 60 -

2.3.1 The importance of postmerger/postacquisition integration ......................... - 60 -

2.3.2 Modes of acculturation .................................................................................. - 61 -

2.4 A new Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate identity ................................................. - 66 -

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2.4.1 Degree of acculturation.................................................................................. - 66 -

2.4.2 The creation of the Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate identity ..................... - 67 -

2.4.3 The communication of the new corporate identity ....................................... - 77 -

3. My internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev ...................................................................... - 80 -

3.1 The rollout of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev Ten Principles .............................. - 81 -

3.1.1 Background ..................................................................................................... - 81 -

3.1.2 Personal contribution ..................................................................................... - 81 -

3.1.3 Personal evaluation ........................................................................................ - 84 -

3.2 The organization of World Environment Day ........................................................ - 86 -

3.2.1 Background ..................................................................................................... - 86 -



3.3 The organization of the LPC Western Europe ....................................................... - 89 -

3.3.1 Background ..................................................................................................... - 89 -



3.4 The writing and sending of ‘Flashes’ ..................................................................... - 94 -

3.4.1 Background ..................................................................................................... - 94 -


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3.5 Presentations ......................................................................................................... - 95 -

3.5.1 Monthly Calls .................................................................................................. - 95 -

3.5.2 Engagement .................................................................................................... - 96 -

4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................... - 97 -

5. Bibliography ................................................................................................................ - 100 -

5.1 Printed sources .................................................................................................... - 100 -

5.2 Digital sources ...................................................................................................... - 101 -

6. Annex .......................................................................................................................... - 102 -

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Preface

This paper gives a detailed overview of my internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev and zooms in on the

creation and communication of a new corporate identity, since I played a part in the communication

of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s new corporate identity.

I resolutely chose to do my internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev for several reasons. First of all, I

wanted to do my internship at a multinational in order to acquire relevant experience. I also thought

it would be nice to put on my curriculum vitae. In addition, I am a beer enthusiast and I am

fascinated by the brewing process and the whole beer culture. Anheuser-Busch InBev was a logical

choice for me.

Besides this, I felt attracted to the field of internal communication because it was one of the domains

that I did not know that well. As a consequence, I wanted to explore the possibilities of this function.

In November, I sent my application letter to Kristien Abbeel, Internal Communication Manager

Western Europe. One week later, I had a personal talk with her. She explained me the responsibilities

of the Internal Communication Department and talked about the company. After this talk, I knew

that I had made the right decision. As a matter of fact, now that my internship is over, I am still of the

opinion that I made the right decision.

In this paper, I discuss my experiences at Anheuser-Busch InBev. The paper consists of 4 chapters. I

the first chapter, I discuss the company, its structure, strategy and brands. The second chapter deals

with the creation of a new corporate identity after mergers and acquisitions. I sketch a theoretical

framework and I then use it to discuss the method that Anheuser-Busch InBev followed. In the third

chapter, I describe my tasks within Anheuser-Busch InBev and I evaluate them. In the fourth chapter,

I look back at my experiences and arrive at some summarizing conclusions concerning MTB, my

internship and my personal and professional development.

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1. Anheuser-Busch InBev

This chapter gives an overview of the company Anheuser-Busch InBev, or AB InBev. First, I will

discuss Anheuser-Busch InBev’s history and current position. Next, I will elaborate on how the

company is organized and structured. After that, I will examine the corporate identity of AB InBev

and AB InBev’s brands. After a sketch of the consumer profile and the competitors of the company, a

SWOT-analysis will summarize the chapter.

Even though I will discuss AB InBev’s history, identity, brands and competitors from a global point of

view, I will often focus on the Western European Zone. This because of AB InBev’s own structure and

organization, and because of the fact that I did my internship at the Zone organization.

The content of this chapter is based on AB InBev’s corporate website1, AB InBev’s ‘Inside’ website2,

AB InBev’s intranet, the Annual Report 20083 and the knowledge and insights I gathered through my

internship at the company.

1 Anheuser-Busch InBev, Corporate website. http://www.ab-inbev.com/ (20/08/2009).

2 This is a website that is only for the employees of Anheuser-Busch InBev. This website provides information

about the company. 3 Anheuser-Busch InBev, Annual Report. http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/media/annual_report_2008

(20/08/2009)

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1.1 Anheuser-Busch InBev anno 2009

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium. With

operations and license agreements around the globe, Anheuser-Busch InBev is a truly global brewer.

To be more precise: the leading global brewer4.

On the corporate site of Anheuser-Busch InBev, we find some figures that sketch the business of

Anheuser-Busch InBev5:

• Anheuser-Busch InBev is the leading global brewer and one of the world’s top 5 consumer

product companies.

• In 2008, Anheuser-Busch sold 456,8 Mio HL over the whole world: 166,7 in North America,

101,5 in Latin America North, 33,7 in Latin America South, 35,0 in Western Europe, 46,1 in

Central and Eastern Europe, 71,0 in Asia Pacific and 2,8 via Global Exports/Licenses.

• The company has a combined revenue of 39 billion USD.

• The company has 4 of the top 10 selling beers in the world and holds number one or two

position in over 20 key markets. This is more than any other brewer.

• Nearly 300 brands in the brand portfolio.

• Anheuser-Busch InBev employs almost 120 000 people worldwide.


5 Ibidem

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It is clear that Anheuser-Busch InBev is not only the leading global brewer, but by extension a leading

global consumer products company. As a consequence, Anheuser-Busch InBev prefers to describe

itself as a ‘beer company’ instead of ‘brewer’.

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1.2 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s history

The roots of the world’s biggest beer company are diverse. As a consequence, the story of AB InBev

can be told from different point of views. In Belgium, AB InBev is often described as a clear example

of the Belgian enterprising spirit and hard work. In Brazil, they will probably describe it as a great

example of the Brazilian spirit and drive. In medio stat veritas, or the truth stands in the middle.

The history of Anheuser-Busch InBev is a complex story of mergers and acquisitions6. Anheuser-

Busch InBev was founded in November 2008, as a result of the ‘combination’ between InBev and

Anheuser-Busch. Actually, InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch and Anheuser-Busch became a wholly

owned subsidiary. Nevertheless, Carlos Brito, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, prefers to refer to

this acquisition as a combination of two companies.

1.2.1 ‘Den Horen’

The roots of Anheuser-Busch InBev can be traced back to ‘Den Horen’ in Leuven. This brewery began

brewing beer in 1366 and is the birthplace of one of AB InBev’s famous brands, Stella Artois.

In the 14th and 15th century, Leuven had a flourishing trade and commerce. The beer business

contributed to this wealth and by the middle of the 16th century, ‘Den Horen’ became by far the most

important enterprise in Leuven.

In 1708, Sebastian Artois was appointed master brewer and a couple of years later he acquired ‘Den

Horen’ and became the sole owner of the brewery. Since then, the name of Artois is linked to the

6 For a detailed history of Anheuser-Busch InBev, written from the Belgian point of view, see: Riepl, W., De

Belgische bierbaronnen. Het verhaal achter Anheuser-Busch InBev. Roeselare (Roularta Books) 2009.

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brewery. The history of ‘Den Horen’ is kept alive until today and Anheuser-Busch InBev is proud of

this rich heritage and long tradition. On the corporate website7, Anheuser-Busch InBev significantly

refers to these roots. The horn is also integrated in the Stella Artois logo.

1.2.2 Interbrew

The year of 1987 is a milestone in the history of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In

1987, the history of mergers and acquisitions that will lead to the creation of

the world’s largest brewer, commences. The diagram below illustrates the

‘journey’ until the foundation of InBev.


Figure 2: The History of InBev

Figure 1 : Interbrew logo

- 15 -

In 1987, the two biggest breweries in Belgium merged: Artois, located in Leuven and Piedboeuf,

located in Jupille. ‘Belbrew’ was the result of the combination of the two Belgian beer giants. After

this merger, Belbrew acquired some local breweries in Belgium: ‘De Kluis’, ‘Lootvoet’ and ‘Belle-

Vue’. These companies brewed respectively Hoegaarden, Leffe and Belle-Vue. Meanwhile, Belbrew

changed its name into Interbrew.

In 1991, Interbrew looked outside Belgium’s borders for the first time. Interbrew’s first international

transaction was in Hungary. In 1995, Interbrew acquired Labatt, one of Canada’s largest breweries.

The acquisition of Labatt was a historical step for Interbrew. With this acquisition, the company

evolved from a regional brewery to a world player. This acquisition also prepared the way for a

number of international transactions: a joint venture with SUN in Russia (1999), the acquisition of

Bass and Whitbread in the UK (2000) and the acquisition of Beck’s & Co in Germany (2002). In 2002,

Interbrew strengthened its position in China by the acquisition of stakes in two important breweries.

In the meantime, Interbrew underwent another important change. Until the end of 2000, Interbrew

was a family-owned company. In December 2000, Interbrew organized a public offering and became

a publicly owned company trading on the Euronext stock exchange.

1.2.3 InBev

In 2004, Interbrew and AmBev joined their forces to create InBev.

The merger of Interbrew and AmBev brought positive economical

effects for both. AmBev itself was created in 2000 by the merger

of Antarctica and Brahma and in 2002, AmBev took a 37,5 %

interest in Quilmes, an Argentine brewery. This interest was

raised to a 91% controlling interest in 2006.

The merger of Interbrew and AmBev did not only create the world’s leading brewer, but also caused

a whole change of the former Interbrew culture and identity. The ‘Brazilian boy wonders’, as they

were often described, from AmBev integrated their way of working in the new company. They laid

Figure 3 : InBev logo

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the foundations for further international growth with their strong focus on cost cutting and their

persistent search for raising efficiency. This was a clean break with the Interbrew culture and way of

doing business. To this day, certain employees of Anheuser-Busch InBev, who worked for the brewer

in the 80’s and 90’s, look back on the Interbrew period with a lot of nostalgia.

1.2.4 Anheuser-Busch InBev

The most significant event in the company’s recent history is the

acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewing company in the

United States, in November 2008.

Anheuser-Busch traces its origins back to the Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis, which was established in

18528. In 1860 the struggling brewery was acquired by Eberhard Anheuser, a successful soap

manufacturer, who later teamed up with his son-in-law, Adolphus Busch. The company was later

renamed Anheuser-Busch. Through innovative marketing and new technologies – among them the

introduction of pasteurization and artificial refrigeration - they transformed the local brewery into an

industry leader. Budweiser was the brewery’s first national beer brand, introduced in 1876.

Next to the fact that they are the largest brewing company in the United

States, Anheuser-Busch has a strong position in China. China is the

largest-volume and among the fastest-growing beer market in the world.

Anheuser-Busch first invested in China in 1993. In 1995 the company

began brewing in the Budweiser Wuhan International Brewery; in 2004 it

acquired Harbin Brewery Group Ltd, China’s oldest brewery, and the

market share leader in the Northeast region of the country; in 2005 it

8 Anheuser-Busch, Corporate website. http://www.anheuser-busch.com/index.html (20/08/2009)

Figure 4: AB InBev logo

Figure 5: Anheuser-Busch logo

- 17 -

increased its equity interest in Tsingtao Brewery Co. to 27% with the government retaining the

majority share. The latter was reduced to a 7% minority interest in January 2009.

The acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev was a very symbolic one. Within the company of InBev,

Anheuser-Busch had always been used as shining example.. InBev learned a lot of best practices from

Anheuser-Busch and eventually acquired its own model. If there was one beer company the InBev

senior leaders were jealous of, it was Anheuser-Busch, the US national beer symbol.

It is in this perspective that we have to understand Carlos Brito’s reference to the acquisition as a

‘combination’, as if it was a merger.

This is where Anheuser-Busch InBev is today. The countries shaded in red indicate where Anheuser-

Busch InBev has operations or license agreements.

Figure 6: AB InBev operations & license agreements

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1.3 Company structure9

1.3.1 Global level

On the global level, Anheuser-Busch Inbev is led by the Executive Board of Management. As CEO,

Carlos Brito is the head of the EBM. Below you find the organization chart.

9 Based on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Intranet, ‘Inside’ website and my own insights.

Figure 7: Management structure

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The Executive Board of Management can be divided into two groups: the six Zones and seven

Functions.

The six Zones reflect the geographical presence of Anheuser-Busch InBev in America, Europe and Asia

Pacific. The creation of the Zones is based on AB InBev’s business agenda, market qualities and size.

The six Zones are:

• Zone Asia Pacific

• Zone Central & Eastern Europe

• Zone Latin America South

• Zone Latin America North

• Zone North America

• Zone Western Europe (including Cuba)

Each Zone has its Zone President. Alain Beyens is the Zone President for Western Europe and

consequently leads the Western European organization of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The second group within the Executive Board of Management consists of the Chiefs of the Functions.

At this level, AB InBev divides the organization into seven Functions.

• Legal & Communications

• Finance

• People & Technology

• Strategy & Sales

• Marketing

• Supply

• Procurement

These Functions focus on their core business and they work across the different zones. They share

operational responsibility with the Zones to deliver the results.

- 20 -

1.3.2 Zone Western Europe

Below, I will focus on the organization and structure of the Western European zone because I did my

internship at the Western European organization.

In Western Europe, the organization is structured similarly as the global organization. On the one

hand, the Zone has different Business Units (countries) and on the other hand there are six Functions

that work across the countries.

Zone Western Europe has 4 Business Units: Benelux, UKI, GAUCH and Southern Europe. Initially,

BeLux and The Netherlands were separate Business Units. During my internship, these two were

combined and integrated. The GAUCH Business Unit consist of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Italy, Spain, France and, quite striking, Cuba belong to Southern Europe. The Business Units are

responsible for the Sales and Distribution (S&D).

Figure 8: Zone Western Europe Structure

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Each of the Business Units is led by a Business Unit President and each of the six Functions is

organized under the lead of a Vice President (VP) Western Europe.

I did my internship at the Internal Communication Department Western Europe. When I started,

Kristien Abbeel, my mentor, was Internal Communication Manager Western Europe and Simon

Wuestenberg was Director Internal Communications and Projects. During my internship, Kristien

moved to the Western European Planning and Performance Management and Simon moved to the

Belgian Sales Department. Laurence Andrianne, Internal Communication Manager BeLux became

Internal Communication Manager Western Europe and Alexandre Bouchet became the Director of

Internal Communications, Perfomance and Planning Management and Facility Management.

Alexandre directly reports to Marc Croonen, Vice President People & Management Western Europe,

who then reports to Alain Beyens.

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1.4 Corporate identity

In this part, I will give an overview of the new corporate identity of Anheuser-Busch InBev. I take a

look at Anheuser-Busch InBev’s mission, strategy and way of realizing its mission. In chapter 2, I will

examine how this new Anheuser-Busch InBev identity was created and communicated through the

organization.

1.4.1 Mission and strategy: the four pillars

“To create enduring bonds with consumers by providing the brands and experiences that bring people

together.”10

The above sentence is Anheuser-Busch InBev’s mission. A mission is the precise formulation of what

the organization does. It describes the business the organization is in and gives a definition or

formulation of the reason why the organization exists. Below, I sketched Anheuser-Busch InBev’s

mission and its matching strategy by Anheuser-Busch InBev’s four pillars.


- 23 -

• “Winning with Consumers via our Winning Brand Portfolio”11

Consumers come first at Anheuser-Busch InBev. The promise is to create enduring bonds with

consumers so that they enjoy Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brands time and again. One way the company

aims to realize this is through a superior brand portfolio. Out of nearly 300 brands, a small group of

focus brands is prioritized. These are the brands AB InBev believes will most effectively build deep

connections with consumers.

• “Winning at the Point of Connection”12

The Point of Connection is the moment when consumers ultimately choose to purchase or consume

AB InBev’s brands. By utilizing capabilities in sales, merchandising and distribution, the company tries

to win over the consumer at the point of connection. This entails building sales and merchandising

capabilities, achieving preferred supplier partnerships with customers, and consistently building the

equity of the brands.

• “World-class efficiency”13

World-class efficiency drives every part of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s business, wherever the company

does business, and whatever the wider economic circumstances. AB InBev is focusing on a range of

initiatives including the Voyager Plant Optimization (VPO) program, which is bringing about a real

step-change in brewery performance. It also entails raising the status of AB InBev’s procurement

processes to maximize purchasing power, in order to gain the best results when AB InBev purchases

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

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a range of goods and services. The company also optimizes its network of breweries and shares best

practices, to leverage the learnings and drive continuous improvements.

Zero-Based Budgeting is a crucial element of this World-class efficiency, and one of the tools which

helps to prioritize and control costs.

• “Targeted external growth”14

The goal of targeted external growth is to strengthen the positions in developed markets, and

continue to maximize opportunities in high-growth markets. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s recent

acquisitions are very much in line with this strategy.

The above-mentioned four pillars are supported or enabled by three things: innovation,

people/culture and financial discipline.

• “Innovation”15

Underpinning the four pillars is innovation. Anheuser-Busch InBev seeks to combine technological

know-how, with unparalleled market understanding, to develop a healthy innovation pipeline. A

good example of an innovation delivering exciting choices for consumers is PerfectDraft: a system

which combines a high-quality appliance and consumer-preferred beer brands in light metal kegs,

delivering the great taste and experience of draught beer in the comfort of one's own home.

14 Ibid.

15 Ibid.

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• “People/Culture”16

At Anheuser-Busch InBev, people lead the way and represent the company’s most important

competitive advantage17. AB InBev believes that great people are behind everything they do, and

they believe great people build great companies. Anheuser-Busch Inbev’s culture is one of

ownership, disciplined execution and focus on results. The organization believes that people will

make better decisions if they think and act like owners, and that teams are focused on the basis of

stretched but achievable targets. The target setting and cascading system together with the

compensation model are also built on the principles of ownership.

• Financial Discipline

For Anheuser-Busch InBev, financial discipline means having the right metrics, with the right focus on

tracking performance, whilst effectively managing the use of resources such as invested capital and

capital structure.

16 Ibid.

17 Ibid.

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1.4.2 Cost-Connect-Win Model18

“Anheuser-Busch InBev’s strategy is made operational day by day trough the simple cost-connect-

win model”19. The aim is to capture non-working money from within the overall cost envelope, and

convert it into working money, directly supporting the Anheuser-Busch

Inbev brands and sales and marketing capabilities. 20

The cost element is about reducing the cost-base and enabling Anheuser-

Busch InBev to stay ahead of the game in a highly competitive marketplace.

By making savings, they intend to invest more in connecting with

consumers, turning non working Euros into working Euros. The key is

disciplined investment.

Winning is about achieving sustainable, profitable, growth. Anheuser-Busch InBev is looking to

achieve long-term growth that is sustainable and profitable.

People are at the centre of this virtuous circle, because they are considered as Anheuser-Busch

InBev’s long-term competitive advantage, making things happen.

The purpose is to “create a winning combination, a dynamic and disciplined company that is wholly

focused on the consumer, and at the same time a highly profitable company, that really will be ‘the

best’”.21

18 Ibid.

19 Ibid.

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

Figure 9: Cost-Connect-Win

- 27 -

1.4.3 Dream-People-Culture platform

Anheuser-Busch InBev translated its mission, vision and strategy in the Dream-

People-Culture platform. In this part, I will give an overview of what this

platform is about. In 1.4.3.1, I will discuss the ‘Ten Principles’ that form the

essence of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Dream-People-Culture.

Dream22

AB InBev’s dream is to be the Best Beer Company in a better world, ultimately

delighting the customers and consumers, time and again. This dream aims to

energize everyone to work in the same direction. The three long-term

objectives of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s business are:

• “To deliver volume growth ahead of industry growth.”23

• “To grow revenue ahead of volumes.” 24

• “To maintain strong financial discipline and ensure that costs remain below inflation.”25

These three conditions are considered as necessary in order to fulfill the long-term goal of becoming

the Best Beer Company in the industry, measured by profitability. Becoming the best is AB InBev’s

commitment and on-going challenge. AB InBev constantly aims to raise the bar in order to build a

company that will generate growth and sustainable results for the long-term.

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid.

24 Ibid.

25 Ibid.

Figure 10: Dream People Culture

Figure 11: Dream

- 28 -

People26

“Being the Best means having the best people.”27 Talented people who are

engaged and thriving in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s culture represent the most

important, and indeed only sustainable competitive advantage.

Culture28

Ownership is an important part of who the AB InBev employees are and how

they behave. It begins with a mindset of everyone who works at Anheuser-

Busch InBev. The people should behave and act like they really own the

company and treat it as if it were their own. Anheuser-Busch InBev believes

that its culture defines the employees as a company, unites them wherever

they do business, and is the one thing the competitors can never copy. Above

all, Anheuser-Busch InBev considers itself as a truly consumer-centric, sales driven company, where

everything they do is geared towards the mission of creating enduring bonds with consumers

through brands and experiences that bring people together.

1.4.3.1 Ten Principles

Anheuser-Busch InBev translated its whole Dream-People-Culture and corporate identity in ten

principles. These Ten Principles are of key importance for all the Anheuser-Busch InBev employees. In

chapter 3 I will discuss how these principles were created and communicated after the acquisition of

Anheuser-Busch by InBev.

26 Ibid.

27 Ibid.

28 Ibid.

Figure 12: People

Figure 13: Culture

- 29 -

During my internship, I did the rollout of the Anheuser-Busch InBev Dream-People-Culture campaign

for Western Europe. I drew up a planning (see Annex I.a), coordinated the translation of the Ten

Principles into Dutch, German, Italian and French, and I had the lead over the layout, prepress and

printing process and the distribution of the material to all of AB InBev’s Western European offices,

and InBev Belgium’s breweries and depots. The Ten Principles were printed on A3 posters, credit

cards, leaflets, bookmarks, and pop up banners.

Below, I listed the Ten Principles:

Our dream

1. Our shared dream energizes everyone to work in the same direction: to be the Best Beer

Company in a Better World.

Our people

2. Great people, allowed to grow at the pace of their talent and compensated accordingly, are

the most valuable assets of our company.

3. We must select people who, with the right development, challenges and encouragement,

can be better than ourselves. We will be judged by the quality of our teams.

Our culture

4. We are never completely satisfied with our results, which are the fuel of our company. Focus

and zero-complacency guarantee lasting competitive advantage.

5. The consumer is the Boss. We connect with our consumers through meaningful brand

experiences, balancing heritage and innovation, and always in a responsible way.

6. We are a company of owners. Owners take results personally.

7. We believe common sense and simplicity are usually better guidelines than unnecessary

sophistication and complexity.

8. We manage our costs tightly, to free up resources that will support top-line growth.

- 30 -

9. Leadership by personal example is the best guide to our culture. We do what we say.

10. We don’t take shortcuts. Integrity, hard work, quality and consistency are keys to building

our company.

1.4.3.2 Six Competencies

For its employees, Anheuser-Busch InBev converted the Ten Principles into Six Competencies. Every

Anheuser-Busch InBev manager is weekly reviewed by his or her line manager. During these weekly

reviews, the Ten Principles are used as a guideline to evaluate every employee. These competencies

tell how the Anheuser-Busch InBev people are expected to act and behave.

Below I listed the Six Competencies:

1. Thinks Big an takes on big challenges. Sets the bar high, never satisfied with results, and

constantly strives to be the best.

2. Develops the Best People & Teams. Attracts, directs, motivates, and develops others to

provide maximum contribution to the business.

3. Has Impact & Influence. Inspires others and gains commitment to achieve maximum results.

4. Acts as an Owner. Always acts in the best interests of the company, taking results personally.

5. Executes with discipline. Aligns and follows the Anheuser-Busch InBev way to achieving

results: simple, focused, and disciplined.

6. Leads by Example. Walks the talk, as an Ambassador for our culture, doing things the right

way.

- 31 -

1.5 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brands29

1.5.1 Marketing & Brand strategy

As mentioned above, Anheuser-Busch InBev is a sales-driven organization. In 2008, the first of many

new steps were taken to ensure that AB InBev became a truly consumer-centric company. As a

relative newcomer to the world’s top five consumer product companies, Anheuser-Busch InBev

believes that it needs to continue to build a truly world class marketing capability to create

sustainable shareholder value. In order to do so, they continuously search and reapply global best

practices, both internally and externally.

Anheuser-Busch InBev divides its brands into three categories: the global brands, the multi-country

brands and the local jewels. The global brands are also called the flagship brands. The company

believes that these brands have the highest potential to create global reach and are built on the

consumers’ values and needs across the globe. The multi-country brands consist of brands which

have their current geographic footprint in a specific set of countries. Their values and needs also

transcend borders, they complement Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global brands and enhance AB InBev’s

competitiveness in the markets. The category of the local jewels consists of local top beers around

the world. These local jewels are mostly distributed only in their homeland.

In the following paragraphs, I will give an overview of the five most important characteristics of

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s marketing and brand strategy.

1.5.1.1 Focus

Anheuser-Busch InBev believes that focus works. This is why the company rigorously reinforced its

focus brands strategy. As mentioned above, focus brands are the brands in which Anheuser-Busch

29 This is mainly based on information available on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Intranet.

- 32 -

InBev invests most of its marketing money. Out of nearly 300 brands, and following a bottom-up

exercise in all key countries, AB InBev prioritizes a small group with greater growth potential within

each relevant consumer segment. These focus brands, including the three global brands, key multi-

country brands, and selected ‘local jewels’, account for two-thirds of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s total

volume.

1.5.1.2 One global way of marketing

In 2008, InBev created and successfully implemented one marketing ‘language’. The intention was to

give it a comprehensive definition, including metrics within the World Class Commercial Program

(WCCP), shared by both the marketing and sales functions. For each country Anheuser-Busch InBev

translated its marketing ability into an objectively quantifiable component of its target setting and

performance culture, allowing for cross-country comparison, best practice sharing, and targeted

training and development. This integrated way of marketing is shared from senior management

through to brand management, aligning the entire company.

1.5.1.3 Addressing global trends with global brands

In 2008, the global brands had a good year30. Particularly in the more developed markets this

achievement was the result of the focus placed on the brands that are able to address changing

tastes globally. While the ‘local jewels’ remain the backbone of the company and capture local needs

very well, there seems to be a growing and very vibrant group of consumers who are behaving more

and more like global citizens, with shared tastes and values.

30 Anheuser-Busch InBev, Annual Report. http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/media/annual_report_2008

(20/08/2009)

- 33 -

1.5.1.4 Innovation and Renovation

According to Anheuser-Busch InBev, strong brands, whether local or global ones, depend on a

constant stream of innovation. Next to that, equally important for strong brands is the ability to

renovate their core. The core variants need to stay relevant and vibrant to remain appealing to new

generations of beer lovers. Therefore, Anheuser-Busch InBev systematically measures marketing

elements like packaging and labels. As necessary, and after solid testing, the company carefully

evolves them.

Within the new and global ’one way of marketing’, AB InBev created one global way to manage the

innovation and renovation pipeline. In 2008, a wave of new brands and varieties saw the light of day,

with innovations such as Stella Artois 4% (UK), Stella Artois Légère (Canada), Quilmes Red

(Argentina), Jupiler Tauro (Belgium), Chernigivske non-alcoholic (Ukraine) and Brahma Fresh (Brazil).

By the end of 2008, in partnership with Philips, Anheuser-Busch InBev had sold a total of about

600.000 ‘PerfectDraft’ dispensers, in five European countries, with mini-keg sales for home use

reaching a record high. Renovation examples include Skol in Brazil, Jupiler in Belgium, and Stella

Artois and Beck’s globally.

Figure 16: Stella Artois 4% Figure 15: PerfectDraft with Leffe keg Figure 14: Jupiler Tauro

- 34 -

1.5.1.5 Responsible drinking

In the journey to achieve the dream of becoming the Best Beer Company in a Better World,

Anheuser-Busch InBev holds the opinion that it must do the utmost to encourage responsible

drinking. In 2008, together with public and private partners from different backgrounds and

geographies, Anheuser-Busch InBev leveraged the leading brands to encourage the right

consumption behavior: regular, but moderate and with a full understanding of the negative personal

and social consequences of excessive drinking31. As an industry leader, Anheuser-Busch InBev wants

to convince young adults of legal drinking age that ‘Responsible Cool’ is the new cool. The focus on

responsible drinking and consciousness-raising is a clear inheritance of Anheuser-Busch. In the US,

Anheuser-Busch has a strong reputation concerning this topic.

1.5.2 Brand portfolio and consumer profile

1.5.2.1 Global brands

Anheuser-Busch InBev has three global brands: Stella Artois, Beck’s and Budweiser. Below I will give a

brief introduction to these three ‘flagships’.


(20/08/2009)

- 35 -

• Stella Artois

Stella Artois is globally positioned as the premium lager, renowned in the whole

world for its quality, and for the rich heritage of the brand which dates back to

Leuven in 1366. Stella Artois is a brand with a well-known international profile.

Stella Artois aims to reach a refined consumer, especially men between 21 and 35,

who can enjoy the delicate taste.

Stella Artois is currently distributed in more than 80 countries, and it has very

strong global appeal. In 2008, Stella Artois had an excellent year globally, in terms

of brand health as well as volume and share performance. Particularly in the U.K.,

a critically important market for the brand, the market share grew

for the first time in five years32. Furthermore, the brand delivered strong double-digit

growth in Canada and the brand also grew particularly well in the U.S. where it is

building such a sophisticated image that it has become the only beer brand that can

be displayed alongside wine in the off-trade.33 Also in 2008, Stella Artois became the

number one international beer brand in Argentina, only 31 months after launch.34


(20/08/2009) 33

Ibid. 34

Ibid.

Figure 18: Stella Artois

Figure 17: Stella

Artois assortment

- 36 -

• Beck’s

Beck’s is German beer, positioned as an exciting, rather urban brand with a lot of

heritage. Beck’s is a brand for young and dynamic people who are progressive,

innovative and open-minded.

True to its original recipe, Beck’s has been brewed in the same way using four key

natural ingredients for more than 125 years. Every bottle of Beck’s is brewed according

to the traditional German Reinheitsgebot. It is a tribute to Beck’s strong commitment

to this heritage, that the brand has had only six brewmasters in a 125 year history.

Beck’s is the number one German beer in the world, present in more than 100

countries. In 2008 it achieved very strong global growth, gaining or maintaining market share in four

out if its five top markets. Germany, its largest market, grew in both volume and share, despite a

general downturn in beer consumption35. In the U.K., Beck’s had another strong year, delivering

impressive double-digit growth in both market share and volume, helped by the successful expansion

of Beck’s Vier.36 In Romania, the leading Beck’s market in the Central & Eastern European Zone, the

brand’s volumes were also up. 37

Much of this international growth was due to powerful brand innovations. The

brand’s progressive international image was given a boost with a completely new

global packaging look and feel together with the launch of a unique and effective

advertising campaign, reflecting its ‘Different by Choice’ identity. The launch of

Beck’s Green Lemon in Romania and Beck’s Ice in Germany helped to drive sales,

and at the same time Beck’s continued to successfully leverage the ‘Beck’sperience’

music platform, engaging hundreds of thousands of consumers in Germany, the

U.K., Central & Eastern Europe and Australia.

35 Ibid.

36 Ibid.

37 Ibid.

Figure 19: Beck's

Figure 20: Beck's

assortment

- 37 -

• Budweiser

Budweiser is the U.S. national beer symbol. It was introduced in 1876 when Adolphus

Busch set out to create the United States’ first truly national beer brand, brewed to

be universally popular and transcend regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser stays

true to the original family recipe used by five generations of Busch family

brewmasters. Budweiser, the ‘Great American Lager’ is a medium-bodied, flavorful,

crisp and pure beer with blended layers of premium American and European hop

aromas, brewed for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment.

In 2008, Budweiser continued its strong performance in the North American Zone.

The Budweiser family of brands had 11.6% share of the U.S. market and remained

the number one brand in Canada38. Due to the global impact of

many of its marketing campaigns, Budweiser is in the exceptional position of having

strong brand equity in markets where it is not currently available. This represents a

major opportunity for the new combined business to leverage Anheuser-Busch

InBev’s broader reach.

38 Ibid.

Figure 21: Budweiser

Figure 21: Bud assortment

- 38 -

1.5.2.2 Multi-country brands

• Leffe

Leffe is one of the two multi-country brands, beside Hoegaarden.

Leffe is positioned as a genuine, trustworthy and warm brand. It is

the beer that brings people together to share and savor special

moments. Leffe is consumed by mature people who are willing to

take some time and spend money on refinement. The prototypic

Leffe consumer appreciates depth, meaning and warmth in his life.

At this moment, the ‘Leffe Aperitif’ campaign is running. These

campaigns tries to promote Leffe as an appetizer; the zakouskis

bring the concept of food pairing to the front. The entire website

of Leffe39 is dedicated to this concept.

The Leffe family of beers are rich and full bodied. Made from only the highest quality ingredients,

they provide a recipe for rich moments in life that deserve to be savored. Leffe’s

unique brewing heritage is now shared and enjoyed by consumers in more than

60 countries worldwide. Overall volume increased by 5.1% compared to 2007

driven by Leffe’s strong performance in France.40 Leffe also saw its market share

increase in both France and Belgium while at the same time increasing its brand

awareness among consumers in all of its major markets through the year. In

2008, for the fourth time in a row, Leffe was given the Crystal Taste Award by the

International Taste and Quality Institute, a leading, independent chef and

sommelier based organization dedicated to judging, honoring, and promoting

superior tasting food and drinks from around the world.

39 See the brand’s website: www.leffe.com


(20/08/2009)

Figure 22: Leffe aperitif

Figure 23: Leffe

- 39 -

• Hoegaarden

The second multi-country brand is Hoegaarden, positioned as the authentic and unique

Belgian wheat (or ‘white’) beer. Hoegaarden aims at the urban professionals between

25 and 40, both male and female. The brand appeals to open-minded, authentic and

dynamic people that enjoy their urban lives but now and then long for being in tune

with nature. Hoegaarden is the perfect beer to drink in a group. The latest two

varieties, Hoegaarden Citron and Hoegaarden Rosé address young and enterprising

women.

First brewed in 1445, this top fermented beer is refermented in the bottle or keg,

leading to its distinctive cloudy white appearance. The unique taste of Hoegaarden

delivers an appealing sweet and sour beer with a note of bitterness, slightly spicy, with

a strong touch of coriander and a hint of orange.

With volume growth of over 20% in 2008 in the fast-growing white beer segment, Hoegaarden

became the fastest-growing brand in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s focus brand portfolio41. In 2008,

considerable investments were made in the Hoegaarden brewery in Belgium to optimize production

to meet the rising demand for Belgium’s favorite white beer.

41 Ibid.

Figure 24:

Hoegaarden

- 40 -

1.5.2.3 Local jewels

The local jewels or local champions are Anheuser-Busch InBev’s backbone and capture

the local needs of the consumers. In Belgium, Jupiler is the local champion. This brand is

the most sold beer in Belgium and the fifth most sold beer in Western Europe. Jupiler is

positioned as a strong masculine brand that radiates courage, adventure and friendship.

Jupiler’s consumer profile is the ‘real man’: masculine, courageous and adventurous.

Jupiler’s sponsorship of the highest Belgian soccer division, the Jupiler Pro League,

contributes to this image.

Among others, Anheuser-Busch InBev brews local jewels like Antarctica, Brahma, Quilmes, Harbin,

Cass, Chernigivske, Bud Light, Labatt Blue, Skol, Franziskaner and Bass.

Figure 25: Jupiler

- 41 -

1.6 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s competitors

In this chapter, I will try to give an overview of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s most important competitors

from a global point of view.

I will divide Anheuser-Busch InBev’s competitors into three levels of economic competition: direct

competition, indirect competition and budget competition.

1.6.1 Direct competition

In direct competition, products with the same function compete against each other42. Direct

competition is also known as category competition or brand competition. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s

three most important direct competitors are Heineken NV, the Carlsberg Group and SABMiller.

1.6.1.1 Heineken NV

Heineken is one of the world’s great brewers and is committed to

growth and remaining independent. The brand that bears the

founder’s family name, Heineken, is available in almost every country

on the globe and is the world’s most valuable international premium

beer brand.

Heineken’s aim is to be a leading brewer in each of the markets in which we

operate and to have the world’s most prominent brand portfolio43. The company’s principal

international brand is Heineken, but the Group brews and sells more than 200 international

premium, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders, including Amstel, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo,

42 Business Dictionary, Direct competition. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/direct-

competition.html (20/08/2009) 43

Heineken, Annual report 2008. http://www.heinekeninternational.com (20/08/2009).

Figure 26: Heineken logo

- 42 -

Foster’s, Maes, Murphy’s, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota, Primus, Sagres, Star, Strongbow, Tiger and

Żywiec.

Heineken has the widest presence of all international brewers, thanks to their global network of

distributors and 125 breweries in more than 70 countries. In Europe they are the largest brewer and

cider producer44.

1.6.1.2 The Carlsberg Group

The Carlsberg Group is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The

company’s focus brand is Carlsberg Beer, but it also brews international

brands like Tuborg, Baltika and 1664. Next to that, the company sells

also a wide range of local beers, including the ‘Belgian’ Grimbergen.

Carlsberg is the number one brewer in Northern and Eastern Europe and the fourth largest brewer in

the world45. In 2008, Carlberg partially acquired Scottish & Newcastle whereby Carlsberg gained full

control over its business in Russia and other Eastern European countries as well as the French

brewery Kronenbourg and Greek brewery Mythos.

44 Ibid.

45Carlsberg Group, Annual report 2008.

http://www.carlsberggroup.com/Investor/DownloadCentre/Pages/annualreport2008.aspx (20/08/2009).

Figure 27: Carlsberg logo

- 43 -

1.6.1.3 SABMiller

One of the world’s largest brewers, SABMiller plc has brewing interests

and distribution agreements across six continents46.

SABMiller has a wide portfolio of brands including premium international

beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft

and Grolsch along with leading local brands such as Aguila, Castle, Miller

Lite, Snow and Tyskie. Six of SABMiller’s brands are among the top 50 in the

world. The company is also one of the world’s largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products47.

SABMiller’s markets range from developed economies such as the USA to fast-growing developing

markets such as China and India. Although SABMiller’s competition is less severe in Western Europe,

the company has a very strong market share in Southern and Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia and

both North and Latin America.

1.6.2 Indirect competition

Indirect competition is when products are close substitutes for one another48. Since Anheuser-Busch

InBev sells alcoholic beverages, all the other alcoholic drinks can be considered as substitutes for

beer. The companies who sell these alcoholic drinks can be count among the indirect competitors.

46 SABMiller, Company snapshot.

http://www.sabmiller.com/files/companysnapshot/SABMiller_company_snapshot.pdf (20/08/2009). 47

Ibid. 48

Business Dictionary, Indirect competition. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/indirect-

competition.html (20/08/2009).

Figure 28: SABMiller logo

- 44 -

Anheuser-Busch InBev wants to penetrate more in the market of alcoholic drinks by broadening the

beer image. As mentioned above, Anheuser-Busch InBev tries to position its beers as an ideal

appetizer (Leffe) or an ideal food companion or ingredient trough food pairing.

During my internship I got the opportunity to co-organize the Leadership, Performance and Change

meeting for the 150 senior leaders of Western Europe (see Chapte 3.3). One of the evening activities

that we set up, was an ‘Innovation & Mindset/Cocktail Event’. A world famous cocktail mixer, Sergio

Pezzoli, was booked to explain the possibilities of mixing beer and serving it as a cocktail variety. One

of the ‘sample cocktails’ was a Hoegaarden Mojito. With this event, we wanted to stimulate the

senior leaders to think out of the typical ‘beer box’ and think about ways of competing with spirit and

whine brands.

• Diageo

One of the biggest indirect competitors is Diageo. Diageo was formed in

1997 from the merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc.

Diageo can even be considered as a direct competitor since they also

have some beer brands. Nonetheless, Diageo’s beer portfolio is not as large as Heineken’s,

Carlsberg’s or SABMiller’s.

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage

alcohol brands across spirits, wine and beer categories49. These brands include: Smirnoff, Johnnie

Walker, Guinness, Baileys, J&B, Captain Morgan, Cuervo, Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and

Sterling Vineyards wines.

49 Diageo, Diageo at a glance. http://www.diageo.com/en-row/AboutDiageo/Diageoataglance/ (20/08/2009).

Figure 29: Diageo logo

- 45 -

1.6.3 Budget competition

The third form of competition is budget competition. This can be anything on which the consumer

might spend his available money.

If we look to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s budget competition, we can consider all the beverages as

budget competitors. From a broader point of view, all the fast moving consumer goods companies

can compete with Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Anheuser-Busch InBev likes to compare itself with consumer goods companies like P&G, Unilever and

The Coca-Cola Company as they function as Anheuser-Busch InBev’s benchmarks.

- 46 -

1.7 SWOT Analysis

I will conclude the first chapter with a SWOT analysis of Anheuser-Busch InBev. I will discuss the

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities an threats of the world’s leading global brewer. This analysis is

based on the info I described in this chapter and on my personal experience as an intern. Since I did

my internship at the Western European zone, the focus of this analysis will be on Western Europe.

Strengths Weaknesses

- The leading global brewer and one of the world's top five

consumer products companies - Engagement

- Anheuser-Busch - Industrial Relations

- Strong, value based and diversified brand porfolio - Drawback of the cost cutting

- One, consumer-centric way of marketing

- Innovation and renovation pipeline

- Financial discipline

Opportunities Threats

- Off Trade potential - Declining beer market

- Premium lagers - Increasing costs

- Further synergies - Public opinion

Figure 30: SWOT analysis

1.7.1 Strengths

1.7.1.1 The leading global brewer and one of the world’s top five consumer products companies

Anheuser-Busch InBev is the leading global brewer and has operations and licenses all over the

world. The company has a key presence both in developed and developing markets. Because of this

position, Anheuser-Busch InBev has a predominance which the company uses to keep on growing.

1.7.1.2 Anheuser-Busch

In November 2008, InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch. Although the integration is still going on, InBev

can have the advantage of all of Anheuser-Busch’s skills, image and distribution network. Anheuser-

Busch has strong marketing skills and the company knows the American market, needs and

- 47 -

consumers like no other company does. Next to that, the new company can use Anheuser-Busch’s

established distribution channels. The combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev will is strength that

will produce a lot of synergies.

1.7.1.3 Strong, value-based and diversified brand portfolio

Anheuser-Busch InBev has a brand portfolio of almost 300 brands. The company has three global

flagships or focus brands, two multi-country brands and hundreds of local champions. Each of these

brands is value-based and tuned to the local consumer’s needs and values. This enables Anheuser-

Busch InBev to meet the needs of the consumers in each market.

This is what really separates Anheuser-Busch InBev from its competitors. Heineken and Carlsberg do

not have several global brands nor that number of local hero brands.

1.7.1.4 One, consumer-centric way of marketing

In 2008, InBev decided that its marketing had to be consumer-centric. Since then, the brands are

built up around the consumer’s profile, needs and values. This requires constant market research and

the willingness to constantly reinvent the own brands and packaging.

1.7.1.5 Innovation and renovation pipeline

In order to stay relevant in the fast moving consumer goods market, innovation is extremely

important. Anheuser-Busch InBev always searches for new opportunities and innovations and will

put these innovations on the market if the company believes it will strengthen its bond with the

consumer. For Anheuser-Busch InBev, renovation is as important as innovation. The company puts a

lot of effort into keeping the existing brands up-to-date and relevant.

- 48 -

1.7.1.6 Financial discipline

Anheuser-Busch InBev has a rigid discipline when it comes to managing its costs. Cost cutting is one

of the key characteristics of the company. The aim is to capture non-working money from within the

overall cost envelope, and convert it into working money, directly supporting the Anheuser-Busch

Inbev brands and sales and marketing capabilities.

1.7.2 Weaknesses

1.7.2.1 Engagement

The outcome of the employee engagement survey of 2008 was better than the outcome of the one

of 2007, but the employee engagement is still a flaw in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s organization.

Especially in Supply (the breweries) , employees think that their opinions do not count. Other trouble

spots are the perspectives and pride of AB InBev.

The fact that the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch was a leveraged buyout makes the employees fear

for radical restructurings and severe cost cutting.

In order to tackle these problems or weaknesses in Western Europe, Alain Beyens, the Zone

President of Western Europe, travels to the plants where the engagement is below average. He

travels to these plants to listen to the employees and to show that the company cares. I made the

presentations for all of his visits, based on the results of the surveys. For every Western European

brewery of Anheuser-Busch InBev, I analyzed the results of the annual survey and summarized my

findings in PowerPoint presentations (see also 3.5.2).

1.7.2.2 Industrial relations

The industrial relations are another weakness of Anheuser-Busch InBev. During my internship, I

witnessed two strikes in Leuven. During my internship, Anheuser-Busch InBev also had major issues

with the labor unions in Germany. The unions blame the management of putting work pressure too

high.

- 49 -

During my internship, Kristien Abbeel, Internal Communication Manager Western Europe, was

preparing an improved IR (Industrial Relations) Tracker. In the future, this tracker should enable the

management to predict and follow up IR problems.

1.7.2.3 Drawback of the cost cutting

Anheuser-Busch InBev is obsessed with cost-cutting in order to convert non-working money into

working money. In order to save money, AB InBev did not only outsource all the IT, but also wants to

pay the least possible.

The result is that you often get inferior services in return. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Intranet works

extremely slowly, there are a lot of troubles with the email access and the internet is regularly down.

This is noxious for both the productivity and the engagement.

1.7.3 Opportunities

1.7.3.1 Off Trade potential

While the On Trade beer market (pubs and direct distribution) is declining, the home consumption of

beer is increasing. As a consequence, Anheuser-Busch InBev stated that its focus will shift from On

Trade to Off Trade. The Off Trade Department is implementing a new brand shelves concept to

penetrate into this segment. Anheuser-Busch InBev also plans to invest more in small stores and

convenience stores (for e.g. gas stations) since they have been neglecting this segment for the last

couple of years.

1.7.3.2 Premium lagers

The sales of the premium beers are rising. Consumers all over the world more and more appreciate a

global, strong and qualitative brand. With three global premium beer in its brand portfolio,

Anheuser-Busch InBev has a strong position with a lot of possibilities in this market.

- 50 -

1.7.3.3 Further synergies

The integration of Anheuser-Busch’ activities is still going on, and there are still further synergies to

be set up. Anheuser-Busch’s well-established distribution network in America and in the fast growing

Asian beer markets still offers a lot of possibilities for the combined company.

1.7.4 Threats

1.7.4.1 Declining beer market

In the mature Western European beer market, the demand for beer has been declining for years

now. Even on the global scale, a generally weaker demand trend can be seen.50 The fierce indirect

competition of whine, spirits or champagne contributes to this decline.

1.7.4.2 Increasing costs

Anheuser-Busch InBev is confronted with increasing prices of commodities, packaging and energy.

Both price increases of the Anheuser-Busch InBev beers as further cost-cutting are very difficult to

put through.

1.7.4.3 Public opinion

Anheuser-Busch InBev has a dominant position in the beer market. Because of this, Anheuser-Busch

InBev is able to fix the price. During the last years, beer prices have been rising, stimulated by

Anheuser-Busch InBev. Anheuser-Busch InBev has to be careful not to get the public opinion against

itself. Next to that, its image of a dominant company and a rather aggressive way of doing business is

not without any risks when it comes to the public opinion.


(20/08/2009)

- 51 -

2. The creation of a new corporate identity after mergers

and acquisitions

In this chapter, I first will discuss the concepts and importance of corporate culture, identity and

image. Then, I will give an overview of the most important purposes and functions of internal

communication and its role in creating a corporate identity. After that, I will examine how a new

corporate identity can be created and communicated after a merger or an acquisition. Next, I will

investigate how the new corporate identity of Anheuser-Busch InBev was created and communicated

within the company.

2.1 Corporate identity, image and culture

The concepts of ‘corporate identity’, ‘corporate image’ and ‘corporate culture’ are frequently used in

a corporate context, but it is not always clear what these concepts stand for. In the following

paragraphs, I will try to define and discuss these three concepts.

Corporate identity

According to Bos and Mastenbroek51, the corporate identity is what a company really represents or

is. They sum up eleven elements that are included in the identity of an organization52:

• The objectives of the company

51 Bos, M.; Mastenbroek, J., Communicatie in organisaties. Cultuur, stijl en leiderschap. Alphen aan den Rijn

(Samsom) 1998, p 46-48. 52

Ibid.

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• The structure of the organization

• The corporate culture

• The corporate philosophy

• The policy

• The standards

• The organizational behavior

• The way of communicating

• The production processes

• Products

• The financial-economic status

Argenti and Forman put it like this:

Simply stated, your company’s identity is the concrete, often visual, manifestation of its reality,

including names, brands, symbols, self-presentations, corporate sponsorships, and, most

significantly, your company’s vision. How you build this reality determines if your company

successfully engages all of its constituencies.53

53 Argenti, P.; Forman, J., The power of corporate communication. New York (McGraw-Hill) 2002, p 68.

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Corporate image

According to Bos and Mastenbroek, the corporate identity “communicates”54. Through this

communication, the perceivers of the communication get a certain image of the organization. In

other words: “the company’s image is a reflection of an organization’s identity […] it is how each

constituency views your organization.”55

Based on Argenti and Forman56 and Bos and Mastenbroek, I made a diagram of the relations

between corporate identity, corporate image and corporate reputation.


(Samsom) 1998, p 46-48. 55

Argenti, P.; Forman, J., The power of corporate communication. New York (McGraw-Hill) 2002, p 69. 56

Ibid.

Figure 31: Corporate identity, image and reputation

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In this figure, you also see the relation between the image and the corporate reputation. If the

images of the company are all align with the organization’s reality, the reputation will be good and

the reputation management a success.57

Corporate culture

Corporate culture can be seen as a cluster of rules of conduct. These rules of conduct go for

everyone, are observed and define how the organization behaves and reacts in the world. In other

words, corporate culture is defined as a set of taken-for granted assumptions, expectations or rules

for being in the world. This culture concept “emphasizes the shared cognitive approaches to reality

that distinguish a given group or company from others”.58

According to Bos and Mastenbroek, the shared values and standards of an organization are the roots

of the company’s culture59. These roots are the fundamental guiding beliefs and are often expressed

in the company’s mission statements.

The shared values of a company are typical of that one, specific organization or company. It is of

great importance that leaders or managers recognize and maintain these values, and integrate them

into the communication.

We also find the shared values in the centre of the 7S model of McKinsey60 that is used to analyze

and improve organizational effectiveness:

57 Ibid.

58 Weber, Y.; Shenkar, O.; Raveh, A., National and Corporate Cultural Fit in Mergers/Acquisitions: An

Exploratory Study. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2634453 (15/08/2009) 59

Bos, M.; Mastenbroek, J., Communicatie in organisaties. Cultuur, stijl en leiderschap. Alphen aan den Rijn

(Samsom) 1998, p 61. 60

Bos, M.; Mastenbroek, J., Communicatie in organisaties. Cultuur, stijl en leiderschap. Alphen aan den Rijn

(Samsom) 1998, p 65.

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The shared values are the cultural cement that holds the company together and that largely gives the

company its identity. These set of values help in unifying the social dimensions of the organization.

The corporate culture can function as a stabilizing factor in the organization. According to Bos and

Mastenbroek, the corporate culture has two functions: supplying templates for the problem solution

and decreasing the fear when employees are confronted with uncertainties or ambiguities or an

abundance of impressions.61


(Samsom) 1998, p 69.

Figure 32: McKinsey's 7S

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2.2 Internal communication

2.2.1 Definition

Internal communication can be seen as a part of corporate communication. Argenti and Forman

describe corporate communication as follows:

By corporate communication we mean the corporation’s voice and the images it projects of

itself on a world stage populated by its various audiences, or what we refer to as its

constituencies. Included in this field are areas such as corporate reputation, corporate

advertising and advocacy, employee communications, investor relations, government

relations, media management, and crisis communication.

[…]

In addition, corporate communication is also the processes a company uses to communicate

all its messages to key constituencies – a combination of meetings, interviews, speeches,

reports, image advertising, and online communications. Ideally, corporate communication is

an attitude toward communication or a set of mental habits that employees internalize. The

result is good communication practices that permeate an organization and are present in all

its communications with constituencies.62

It is clear that the concept of corporate communication is very broad. When we focus on internal

communication, we notice that there are almost as many definitions of internal communication as

there are authors who write about the topic.

Some definitions stress the transfer of information from the sender to the receiver and describe

internal communication as a management tool, other definitions consider internal communication as

every communication within the organization:

62 Argenti, P.; Forman, J., The power of corporate communication. New York (McGraw-Hill) 2002, p 4.

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The offer of messages from senders to receivers who are part of the same organization, with

the intention to realize organizational and/or individual goals.63

[Internal communication is] the process whereby members gather pertinent information

about their organization and the changes occurring within it.64

Organizational communication occurs in large cooperative networks and includes virtually all

aspects of both interpersonal and group communications and includes topics such as the

structure and function of organizations, human relations, communication and the process of

organizing and organizational culture.65

2.2.2 Purposes

Internal communication is a broad concept and consequently can have different purposes. Internal

communication can roughly have three different functions or purposes: to inform, to motivate and to

collect.

Van Putte makes a distinction between internal communication as a direct directive instrument and

internal communication as an indirect directive instrument66.

Direct directive instrument

According to her, internal communication as a direct directive instrument can have three desired

effects. The first one is acceptance of the organization’s policy. This is the case when the policy is

developed at the top of the organization, and then, via the communicative way, is presented to the

employees. The role of the communication manager is to formulate the decisions in a way that they

sound clear and acceptable. In this case, actual participation of the employee is out of the question.

63 Putte, M. Van, Interne communicatie: van theorie naar praktijk. Bussum (Uitgeverij Coutinho) 1998, p 61.

64 Ibid., p 64.

65 Ibid., p 65.

66 Ibid., p 83 et seq.

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The second desired effect is engagement or involvement. In this context, engagement is considered

as an emotional matter, as a commitment. The employee should feel involved with the company, the

company’s targets and the ways of achieving these targets. This effect is about motivating the

employees, strengthen the team spirit, and increase the enthusiasm and drive.

The third effect that organizations want to achieve through internal communication, is the

employee’s willingness to change. This is for example the case when an organization wants to

restructure or move.

The above three effects are linked to each other. A stronger engagement or involvement will

stimulate the willingness to change and the acceptance of the organization’s policy. This is a one-way

communication, and is actually a direct translation of the ideas about external communication into

the internal practice of the company. Therefore, this type of internal communication is often called

internal marketing communication.67

Indirect directive instrument

When internal communication is used as an indirect directive instrument, it is still considered as an

instrument, meant to achieve the desired effects. In this case, the effects are not achieved directly,

but via indirect mutual swaying of the employees. The two most important desired effects of this

way of communicating are creating a univocal, uniform culture and influencing the attitude and

behavior of the employees towards organizational matters.

Van Putte describes this kind of internal communication as a sort of “internal public relations”68. Van

Putte quotes Cutlip when she states that the function of this internal communication is : “[…] to

67 Ibid., p 89-90.

68 Ibid., p 121.

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identify, establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the organization and the

employees on whom its success or failure depends. “69

2.2.3 The interaction between internal communication and corporate identity

Corporate identity, corporate culture and internal communication are closely knit. The corporate

culture (and identity) determines how people in an organization communicate with each other.

Turning it round, you could also state that the internal communication determines the corporate

culture.70 In fact, both propositions are true and you could consider it as a cycle: they push ahead

each another.

It is important to remark that internal communication can be used as a steering gear in order to

change the corporate culture. Besides, if the company wants to change its culture, it has to

implement the ‘new’ criteria and rules of conduct. If this succeeds, these criteria and rules of conduct

are part of the culture and you get the reversal. Then, the internal communication will be defined by

the corporate identity and culture.

69 Ibid., p 121.


(Samsom) 1998, p 71.

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2.3 Adaptation and acculturation in mergers and acquisitions

In the below paragraphs, I discuss the modes and factors of adaptation and acculturation in mergers

and acquisitions. This theoretical framework will be used to discuss Anheuser-Busch InBev’s process

after the combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev.

2.3.1 The importance of postmerger/postacquisition integration

In strategic management, mergers are most commonly classified on the degree of relatedness of two

firms.71 The choice of the degree of relatedness between the two firms depends upon the motives

behind the merger or acquisition. These motives can include “achieving operating synergies in

production, in marketing, in scheduling, in managerial experience, in compensation systems or in risk

reduction or access to more favorable financial terms” 72.

Depending on the type of merger or acquisition and the motive, the acquiring company must decide

on an implementation strategy. This strategy determines the extent to which the various systems of

the two firms will be combined and the degree to which the employees of the companies will

interface. 73

Overall, a lot of problems are caused by differences in managerial styles, compensation systems,

differences in the structure of the companies and the differences in the firms’ personnel

characteristics and employees’ willingness to adapt to the customs, culture and practices of the other

company.74

71 Nashavandi, A.; Malekzadeh, A., Acculturation in Mergers and Acquisitions.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/258356 (15/08/2009). 72

Ibid. 73

Ibid. 74

Ibid.

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2.3.2 Modes of acculturation

In the article “Acculturation in Mergers and Acquisitions”, Nahavandi and Malekzadeh compare the

change and adaptation of the acquired to the practices of the acquirer with the concept of

acculturation in anthropology and cross-cultural psychology:

Though the concept of acculturation was developed to explain events involving societal groups, it

can be applied to industrial or social organizations as well, because the two share many defining

characteristics. Both industrial and social organizations exist and adapt within a specified

environment and have well-defined boundaries that encompass a number of individuals who

interact and are interdependent to varying degrees. They have a functional and adaptive quality

and provide their members with a system of shared symbols and cognitions to deal with each

other and with the outside world.75

There are however a couple of differences between the systems in organizations and in societal

systems. In organizations, aspects like structure and technology affect the organization and its

members more directly. Furthermore, when a societal group is forced to interact with another, the

members do not have the option of not acculturating and refusing contact as readily as organization

members do.76 In organizations, members can choose not to accept the culture of the other by

simply leaving the organization, or the acculturation process can be bypassed if most members of the

acquired company are fired.

Nahavandi and Malekzadeh distinct four modes of acculturation: integration, assimilation, separation

and deculturation. “Integration is triggered when members of the acquired firm want to preserve

their own culture and identity and want to remain autonomous and independent.”77 This leads to a

mode of acculturation with structural assimilation but little cultural and behavioral assimilation. It

requires mutual contribution, but without loss of cultural identity by either. This can only take place

if the acquiring company is willing to allow such independence.

75 Ibid.

76 Ibid.

77 Ibid.

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The process of assimilation, the second mode, is completely different. Assimilation “is always a

unilateral process in which one group willingly adopts the identity and culture of the other.”78 The

acquired company relinquishes its own culture, identity and practices and adopts the culture,

identity and systems of the acquiring company.

The third mode of acculturation is separation. This involves attempting to preserve one’s culture and

practices by remaining separate and independent from the dominant group. This is likely to take

place “when members of the acquired company want to preserve their culture and organizational

systems and they refuse to become assimilated with the acquirer in any way or at any level.”79 In this

case, the members of the acquired company resist any attempt at adaptation and conciliation. These

members will try to remain totally separate from the acquirer. This mode of acculturation means

minimal cultural exchange between the two organizations.

The fourth mode of acculturation, according to Nahavandi and Malekzadeh, is “deculturation” or

“marginality”80. This is the case when both the acquirer and acquired lose their cultural and

psychological contact. This can happen when members of the acquired company “do not value their

own culture and organizational practices and systems, and they do not want to be assimilated into

the acquiring company”.81

The precise course of acculturation depends on the way in which the acquirer and the acquired

companies approach the implementation of the merger or acquisition. Nahavandi and Malekzadeh

state the following concerning the acquired company’s point of view:

[…] the degree to which members want to preserve their own culture and organizational practices

and the degree to which they are willing to adopt the acquirer’s culture and practices will

determine their preferred mode of acculturation.82

78 Ibid.

79 Ibid.

80 Ibid.

81 Ibid.

82 Ibid.

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Figure 33: Acculturation83

In the case of the acquirer, the degree to which the firm is multicultural and the diversification

strategy regarding the type of merger will determine the preferred mode of acculturation. What we

exactly mean by the term multiculturalism is explained in the below quote:

The term multiculturalism refers to the degree to which an organization values cultural diversity

and is willing to tolerate and encourage it. If an organization simply contains many different

cultural groups, it is considered to be multicultural. If an acquirer is unicultural and, therefore,

emphasizes conformity and rewards adherence to unique goals, strategies, and organizational

practices, it is more likely to impose its own culture and management systems on a new

acquisition. If the acquirer is multicultural, it is likely to consider diversity as an asset and

therefore will allow the acquired firm to retain its own culture and practices.84

The second variable, next to multiculturalism, is the diversification strategy regarding the type of the

merger or acquisition. In other words: the degree of relatedness between the acquirer and the

83 Ibid.

84 Ibid.

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acquired firms. The more related the companies are, the more likely it is that the acquirer will

impose some of its culture and practices.85

Figure 34: Acculturation

When two companies merge, or one company is acquired by another, members of the two

organizations may not have the same preferences regarding a mode of acculturation. Then, the

degree of agreement or congruence regarding each one’s preference for a mode of acculturation will

be a central factor in the successful implementation of the merger.86

Nahavandi and Malekzadeh state the following:

85 Ibid.

86 Ibid.

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[...] when two organizations agree on the preferred mode of acculturation for the implementation

of the merger, less acculturative stress and organizational resistance will result, making

acculturation a smoother process.87

The reverse is also true: when two organizations do not agree on the preferred mode, and

incongruence occurs, this will likely lead to high amounts of acculturative stress and disruption for

both individual and group functioning.

87 Ibid.

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2.4 A new Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate identity

In November 2008, with the combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev, a new company was created:

Anheuser-Busch InBev. InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch and the latter became a wholly owned

subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch created the

largest beer company and one of the top 5 FMCG companies worldwide.

With the creation of this new company, a new corporate identity was created. I will discuss how this

new identity was created and communicated within the company. I interviewed Jorge Indra

concerning this topic. Jorge was one of the project leaders of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev

corporate identity.

2.4.1 Degree of acculturation

The story of InBev is a story of mergers and acquisitions. This caused that, from the start, InBev was

essentially a multicultural organization, but a particular sort of multicultural organization. The

company valued cultural diversity and encouraged it, but only to a certain level: InBev always

searched for the best practices and imposed its structure and practices on the acquired companies.

As a consequence, InBev was known as a ‘ruler’.

However, the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch cannot be compared to former acquisitions by InBev.

With most of InBev’s previous acquisitions, the company behaved as a ruler that imposed its own

structure and practices. The acquired companies had to integrate important parts of InBev’s culture

and way of working.

With the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, InBev did not behave as the ruler. For more than a decade,

InBev had been looking up to Anheuser-Busch. By acquiring this company, InBev was acquiring its

leading example. This caused that the senior management of InBev chose to integrate Anheuser-

Busch’s identity, culture and heritage in a new company: Anheuser-Busch InBev. Since it are two

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related companies and InBev wanted to value and encourage the cultural diversity, InBev’s mode of

acculturation can be described as ‘integration’.

From Anheuser-Busch’s point of view, the story is slightly different. Anheuser-Busch was a company

that valued the preservation of its own culture. Anheuser-Busch was the American beer symbol, a

company that was proud of its heritage and its own identity.

It is difficult to estimate or evaluate how InBev was perceived by the employees of Anheuser-Busch,

but they sure did not find the idea of being acquired by a Belgian company very attractive. If we have

to describe Anheuser-Busch’s preferred mode of acculturation, it would rather be ‘separation’.

This incongruence of preferred modes of acculturation was resolved by a simple trick: the mother

company would integrate Anheuser-Busch’s culture and values by creating a new identity while

Anheuser-Busch USA, the wholly owned subsidiary, could keep its own corporate identity.

2.4.2 The creation of the Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate identity

2.4.2.1 The story behind the new corporate identity

The transformational combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev unlocked a ‘new world’ for the

employees, shareholders, customers and consumers, and fueled the dream of becoming the Best

Beer Company in a Better World.

When the deal concerning the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch was closed, the agreement was that

they would give the new company a new name, one with a reference to Anheuser-Busch in it. This

was a requirement of the Anheuser-Busch management. The new company got the name ‘Anheuser-

Busch InBev’. The next step was to create a new identity that reflects the identity and culture of both

companies. Anheuser-Busch had to be integrated in InBev’s identity and culture.

The design of the new corporate identity was led by a small team of senior leaders, two project

leaders and the agency FutureBrand over a period of 2 months. It was “co-created” with the

feedback and opinions of hundreds of employees around the world, including employees of

Anheuser-Busch and of InBev.

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It is important to know that the target group or audience for the new identity are first and foremost

the current and future employees of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The project team divided the audiences

into three groups: the primary audience, the secondary audience and the tertiary audience. The

below diagram visualizes these three audiences. It is important to keep in mind that the new identity

is primarily created for the Anheuser-Busch InBev people.

2.4.2.2 The process of creation

The project team of Anheuser-Busch InBev worked closely together with FutureBrand to develop the

new Anheuser-Busch InBev identity. The first thing they did was analyzing the image, culture and

identity of InBev and Anheuser-Busch. Next, they defined the ideal image, culture and identity of the

new company. The new corporate identity for Anheuser-Busch InBev had to be centered around a

new logo mark.

Figure 36: Target audience

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First of all, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s project team briefed FutureBrand, a brand strategy and design

consultancy of the McCann-Erickson WorldGroup. They discussed what they knew of the two

companies and how it could come together. The project team also presented the new ‘Ten

Principles’. These new Ten Principles are almost the same as the old InBev principles.

When I confronted Jorge Indra with this fact, he explained to me that the culture of InBev and

Anheuser-Busch had a lot of things in common and were based on the same values. Because of the

fact that it was basically an acquisition, they decided that the dominant culture had to be InBev’s

culture. However, they wanted to bring a couple of Anheuser-Busch’s typical values into the new

company. As a result, the project team wanted more focus on craftsmanship, heritage and quality,

three of Anheuser-Busch’s core values.

Brand archetypes

Next, FutureBrand made an analysis of the two companies, based on the concept of brand

archetypes. As you can see below, we can distinguish 12 archetypes: caregiver, ruler, innocent,

creator, sage, explorer, innocent, outlaw, hero, magician, jester, everyman and lover.

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Anheuser-Busch is the caregiver: altruistic, selfless, nurturing, empathy, supportive and generous.

Anheuser-Busch has a strong reputation concerning responsible drinking, recycling and corporate

social responsibility. InBev is the ruler: manager, organizer, effective, productive, confident,

responsible and a role model.

In order to unite these two brand archetypes, the purpose was to find a balance in terms of their

principles and personality. The caregiver and ruler archetypes occupy the same space of stability and

control. The project team decided that Anheuser-Busch InBev should seek to take a different

direction. With its unapologetic drive and complementary approach, this was best represented by

the hero archetype. They suggested that like Nike, Anheuser-Busch InBev should be a hero brand;

they just do it. Everything about Anheuser-Busch InBev should feel like they are creating a ‘Hero

Champion’ for employees, shareholders, distributors and consumers.

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Brand framework

After this analysis, FutureBrand and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s project team created an Anheuser-

Busch InBev brand framework. This brand framework had to consider the integration of the dream,

principles and personality to form the brand essence.

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s dream had to be an inspirational, consumer and customer-focused and

competitively distinctive statement of the brand’s role in the world. This dream was defined as ‘To

become the best beer company in a better world by enhancing everyday enjoyable moments’.

The ten guiding principles of Anheuser-Busch InBev represent the core of the organization and its

culture. FutureBrand stated that they still needed distilling to create something manageable to the

target audience. From the ten principles listed under 1.4.3.1, they thought there were words that

defined key essences. FutureBrand selected three key principles: ambition, realness and friendship.

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The mergers between AmBev and Interbrew, and now Anheuser-Busch and InBev, catapulted the

company into the position of world’s largest brewer. This reflects the ‘ambition’ to be the best,

demonstrating a harder-edged business focus, supported by a positive view to the future.

The ‘realness’ represents the pride of ownership and heritage of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brands. This

is demonstrated by the long history of InBev’s brands (Stella Artois can be traced back to 1366) and

Anheuser-Busch’s origins in the Bavarian brewery which was established in 1852.

The principle of ‘friendship’ demonstrates how Anheuser-Busch InBev creates an enduring

connection between others and sharing in special moments. Anheuser-Busch InBev believes that

‘Making friends is our business’ is a philosophy and responsibility which extends to customers,

employees and the communities in which Anheuser-Busch InBev does business.

Next to the dream and the principles, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s personality was the third factor that

had to be integrated and unified in the brand essence. FutureBrand and the project team linked the

personality to the values and they put Anheuser-Busch InBev’s personality into three statements: we

value ambition and we are driven, we value realness and we are authentic, we value friendship and

we are engaging.

Futurebrand integrated the dream, principles and personality to form the value based brand

proposition. This proposition is ‘authentically driven’.

Below I visualized the Anheuser-Busch InBev brand framework that was created by Anheuser-Busch

Inbev’s project team and FutureBrand:

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Figure 35: Anheuser-Busch InBev Brand Framework

New identity

Now that Anheuser-Busch InBev’s audience, values, personality, target and

vision was defined, it needed to be visualized. Both Anheuser-Busch’s and

InBev’s logos, typography, iconography and colors were analyzed. The team

found the Anheuser eagle and A very old fashioned whilst the InBev corporate

identity was very cold and clinical. They wanted to be a greater balance

between the human element and the business element. InBev colors were

primarily red and black and Anheuser-Busch are primarily blue and red; a

compromise had to be found. Although the eagle may be somewhat over

used, they thought it could be made to work.

Figure 37: InBev logo

Figure 36: Anheuser-Busch logo

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Figure 38: Identity overview

With this information, FutureBrand started to explore the possibilities. Below you find some of these

explorations.

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- 76 -

Carlos Brito, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, at all costs wanted to have the iconic eagle in the

new logo. Eventually, after a process of two months, the logo below was the result:

Figure 39: New Anheuser-Busch InBev logo

The logo and the corporate identity are designed to represent the personality of the company. At

Anheuser-Busch InBev, people are ‘Driven’ to achieve results, and they cherish ‘Authenticity’ and

‘Friendship’. The AB InBev name and its classic typeface should reflect the centuries-long heritage of

brewing expertise, as well as the unrelenting commitment to quality.

The colors tell the story about what Anheuser-Busch InBev knows and does best: the expertise and

heritage in brewing great beers which is so often a part of enjoyable moments shared by friends. The

dark brown and red, going to golden and white foam convey the rich portfolio of beer flavors

produced with superior quality and craftsmanship everyday in the company’s breweries around the

world. The red color conveys the passion and determination of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s people to

brew and sell great beers that are enjoyed among friends.

The eagle universally represents strength, agility and focus, characteristics of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s

culture and people. The eagle takes inspiration from the history in Anheuser-Busch USA as well as

Roman, golden and imperial eagles which have been used for millennia as a symbol of power and

vision. The iconic Anheuser-Busch InBev Eagle is soaring, looking forward and upwards to reflect the

collective vision, drive and energy to build a company for the long haul. It is created in the full color

spectrum of beers, a business which Anheuser-Busch InBev is deeply proud of. It goes from rich deep

brown, passionate red to vibrant gold. These colors refer to the dream to become the best beer

company in a better world.

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The templates for the press releases, Power Points, web pages, external signage and letterheads

were derived from the Anheuser-Busch InBev logo. The main visual of these templates is the deep

brown and vibrant golden wave that symbolizes the beer and the foam on top of the beer:

Figure 40:New PowerPoint template

2.4.3 The communication of the new corporate identity

The new corporate identity was created in the global Anheuser-Busch InBev organization by a small

team led by two project leaders, Jorge Indra and José Gertry. Both Jorge and José are Global

Marketing Directors.

Anheuser-Busch InBev did not provide an extra budget to change the corporate identity in the

different Zones and countries. Each Zone or country had to pay the new corporate material from its

own budget. As a consequence, Anheuser-Busch InBev did not set up a global planning concerning

the change of the corporate identity. Nevertheless, it is the intention that by the end of 2009, most

Zones and countries will have integrated the new corporate identity.

Because of the fact that Anheuser-Busch InBev does not have a Corporate Communication Director

or Manager, K-Creation was hired as a ‘gatekeeper’ concerning the use of the new corporate identity.

When the local situation or condition requires local adaptations or translation, this has to be checked

and approved by K-Creation. This agency is the first point of contact for all questions related to the

new corporate identity.

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On the day of the official acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, the corporate identity was already finished.

Every employee received a mail with Brito’s signature to welcome everybody to the new company. In

this mail, the new Anheuser-Busch InBev logo was used for the first time (see Annex VI.a.) and in this

mail, Brito also referred to the new principles that were created. In order to anticipate possible

questions, the website welcometoabInbev.com was created and communicated via Brito’s message.

On this website every employee could find all the necessary information concerning the

combination, the new company and its new identity.

A couple of days after this mail from Brito, the Zone employees received an email with an invitation

for a ‘Budweiser drink’ in honour of their new company (Annex VI.b.).

In the course of January, the new corporate identity was cascaded. Jorge and José, the two project

leaders, sent the new Anheuser-Busch InBev logo and the new templates, together with a Corporate

Identity Guide that explained the use of the templates, to all of the Communication Managers of the

Zones. These Zone Communication Managers were also briefed upon the meaning and use of the

new corporate identity. In Annex VI.c., I included the presentation that was used for this briefing.

Once all the Internal Communication Managers of the different Zones were briefed, they had to

cascade the new corporate identity to the employees of the Zone and to the Internal Communication

Managers of the different countries or Business Units. See Annex VI.d. en VI.e. for the

communication that was sent out to the employees that work on a Zone level. The Internal

Communication Managers of the Countries were responsible for cascading this new identity to their

local organization.

It is clear that in order to communicate the new corporate identity and create a new corporate

identity, the internal communication was used as a direct directive instrument. The corporate

identity was first created at the top of the organization and then presented to the employees via the

communicative way.

Anheuser-Busch InBev pursued all three desired effects of internal communication as a direct

directive instrument: a strong focus on the acceptance of the organization’s policy, but also attention

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to the engagement and the willingness to change. The internal communication was used as a

management tool or steering gear in order to change the corporate identity and culture.

During my internship, I did the rollout of the new Ten Principles and Six Competencies (see 3.1). This

was the first time that the new corporate identity was communicated via print. Before, the

employees had to take the initiative themselves to surf to the website of Anheuser-Busch InBev if

they wanted to read about the new Dream, People and Culture.

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3. My internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev

I did my internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev from April 27th until August 17th at the Internal

Communication Department Western Europe of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The Internal Communication

function is part of the People & Management Department, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s HR alternative.

On my first day, Kristien Abbeel, my mentor and Internal Communication Manager Western Europe,

gave me a short introduction on the structure and functions of the company. After that, she gave me

an overview of what I was expected to do during my internship. The organization of World

Environment Day and the Leadership, Performance and Change meeting and the rollout of the new

Ten Principles material would be my three main projects.

Apart from these three tasks, I would have to assist Kristien on the daily tasks of the Internal

Communication Department. These daily tasks included writing short communications (‘Flashes’) and

making presentations.

In this chapter, I will discuss my three most important tasks quite extensively and I will evaluate them

personally. Next, I will give a more concise overview of my other tasks during my internship.

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3.1 The rollout of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev Ten

Principles

3.1.1 Background

During my internship, I did the rollout of the new Ten Principles and Six Competencies. These new

principles and competencies were the result of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate identity.

The principles and competencies had to be printed on banners, posters, leaflets, bookmarks and

credit cards.

The purpose of this printed material was to expose all the employees of Anheuser-Busch InBev to the

new corporate identity and to the new principles and competencies. Anheuser-Busch InBev did not

have a global strategy to reach all of its workers, but assumed that everybody who wanted to know

more about the new identity could surf to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s website.

In other words, the global corporate identity strategy of Anheuser-Busch InBev did not focus on the

workers or people who do not have an internet connection. With this material, the Western

European Zone also wanted to contact the workers in the breweries and depots. In the leaflets the

employees could for example find further information concerning the principles and competencies.

3.1.2 Personal contribution

3.1.2.1 High-level process

In order to coordinate this process and to brief the Communication Managers of the countries, I set

up a high-level process in Powerpoint (see Annex I.a.).

This process was based on the printing process of ‘WE @ InBev’, the former internal magazine.

On the left, I put the different responsible parties vertically: Antilope (the printing company), the

Internal Communication Managers of the countries, the Internal Communication Manager of the

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Zone Western Europe (myself) and K-Creation (the first point of contact and ‘gatekeeper’ with regard

to the new corporate identity).

Horizontally, I divided the process into four phases: layout, correction, approval and delivery. I

connected the successive steps with arrows to create an easily legible process.

I set up this high-level process in order to send it to the Internal Communication Managers of the

countries so they would have a clear overview or summary of what they were expected to do.

3.1.2.2 Briefing of the Internal Communication Managers

Next, I briefed the Internal Communication Managers of the Countries during an Internal

Communication conference call. Eline Leunissen and Laurence Andrianne, Internal Communication

Managers of the BeNeLux, were present, while the other Internal Communication Managers dialed

in.

During this briefing, I discussed the high-level process that I made and explained what the

Communication Managers were expected to do. I stressed the fact that we had to try to have as less

correction rounds as possible. The first correction round was included in the price, but for each extra

correction round, we had to pay Antilope, the printing company, an extra charge.

3.1.2.3 Consolidation of the tenders

We wanted to print five types of material: posters, credit cards, bookmarks, leaflets and pop-up

banners. Antilope, the printing company, had submitted an offer for each type of material. Kristien

asked me to consolidate all the different tenders in one Excel sheet.

First, I merely made an overview of the different costs and the estimated total cost. Kristien told me

that I always had to make my Excel sheets as flexible as possible. Therefore, I made a new version

and inserted formulas so that everything was automatically recalculated when the ordered quantities

or number of different languages changed. See Annex I.b. for an excerpt of this sheet.

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3.1.2.4 Coordination of the correction phase

The first phase of the process was the correction phase. Inge Nauwelaerts from Antilope sent me the

Dutch, German, French and Italian pdf files that were translated by a translation company. I

forwarded these files to the Internal Communication Managers of the countries and asked them to

review and correct the files using Acrobat Writer.

This correction round was important because we had to make sure the translations were written in

the same style and with the same ‘feeling’ as the original English versions.

The Internal Communication Managers sent me their corrections or remarks (see Annex I.c.). I

consolidated all the remarks and corrections and made a clear overview of which words had to be

changed, replaced or corrected.

Next, Antilope processed these remarks or corrections and sent me back the updated files. When the

Internal Communication Managers approved these files, I sent them to K-Creation. As mentioned

above, K-Creation is the first point of contact regarding the new corporate identity of Anheuser-

Busch InBev. They had to approve all the translations of the material. I received a couple of remarks

from them ( see Annex I.d.). Most of the remarks concerned word breaks or lay out issues.

Afterwards I discussed K-Creation’s remarks with Antilope so that they could correct the files.

3.1.2.5 Coordination of the approval phase

Once K-Creation’s corrections were processed by Antilope, the printing company put high resolution

pdf files on its website. The Internal Communication Managers had to log in on the site and approve

these files. Antilope also created an account for me so I could log in on the site and check which files

already had been approved and which files still needed to be approved or corrected.

During this phase, I had to chase the Communication Managers in order not to hold up the process.

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3.1.2.6 Coordination of the delivery and the transactions

After all the files were approved via Antilope’s website, Antilope started with the printing of the

material. I collected all the delivery addresses with the corresponding ordered quantities and put the

data in an Excel sheet that I sent to Antilope (see Annex I.f.).

Next, I sent an email to all the contact persons to inform them when the material would be delivered

so that they could make sure that there was someone present to receive the material. In this email, I

also asked them to send me an email when they received the new material. By doing this, I could

trace possible problems.

Because of the fact that Anheuser-Busch InBev did not foresee a central budget for the corporate

identity change, every country/Business Unit had to pay for the material from its own budget. This

was not only a pity because of the fact that some BU’s did not have enough budget to buy leaflets for

all of their employees, but it also complicated the settlement of the accounts.

I had to make sure that every country or Business Unit made a PO and that Antilope split the costs

into six different invoices: Belux, the Netherlands, Gauch (Germany), Southern Europe, UKI and Zone

Headquarters. This brought along quite an administrative fuss.

3.1.3 Personal evaluation

The follow-up of this process was a rather administrative task that did not require a lot of creative

input from my side. However, I found it very interesting to get in touch with the different responsible

parties and to act as an intermediary.

I discovered a side of the Internal Communication Manager’s function that I did not know before.

When you are a Communication Manager at the Zone level, you constantly have to give orders to the

Internal Communication Managers of the countries, check if they execute the instructions and chase

them if necessary.

I also experienced how hard it is to get things done during the holiday period. I sometimes needed

the input of all of the countries and time after time one of the Communication Managers was on

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holiday while nobody else was well informed about the things I needed to know. This slowed down

the whole process.

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3.2 The organization of World Environment Day

3.2.1 Background

World Environment Day (WED) is an initiative of the United Nations. WED, commemorated each

year on the 5th of June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates

worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The theme for

2009 was ‘UNite to combat climate change’.

Anheuser-Busch InBev decided to support the initiative in order to raise awareness concerning

environmental issues among the employees, raise engagement and get some free publicity. World

Environment Day fits in with Anheuser-Busch InBev’s dream to be the Best Beer Company in a Better

World.

The global department of Anheuser-Busch InBev wanted to organize a contest between the different

Zones. Each Zone had to select its best initiative / country. Then, a jury would select a winner based

on the impact of the initiative, support of local or national politicians, the press coverage etc.

We wanted to win the global competition with Zone Western Europe, so we decided to set up a big

competition in our Zone. The whole project would be led by Internal Communication Western

Europe and Corporate Affairs Western Europe.

We set up guidelines for the Western European countries / Business Units. Our covering theme or

event was ‘WE bike to work’. This Zone-wide event had to encourage employees to leave their cars

at home and come by bike or by public transport or carpool to work. By doing this, we would save

kilometers and reduce our carbon footprint, raise awareness around environmental issues among

our employees, drive engagement and have fun.

Each Western European Business Unit had to work out an approach within the guidelines that were

set by us, the Zone team. For Western Europe, the ‘competitors’ were BeNeLux, Southern Europe,

Gauch, UKI and the Zone Headquarters.

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Next to the ‘regular’ competition, we also organized a best practice competition for Supply, because

otherwise these people could not participate in World Environment Day due to their shift work.


I helped with the coordination of WED on the Zone level and was responsible for the Bike To Work

event at the Zone Headquarters in Leuven. For the event at the Zone Headquarters, I created an

action log (Annex II.g.). This helped me to know what was done and what was still in progress or not

yet started.

In order to motivate the employees to come by bike (or by public transport or carpool) to Leuven on

June 5th, we decided to organize a breakfast for all the participants. I organized regular meetings

with the Belgian Special Events Team to arrange the catering, logistics and music installation for the

breakfast.

I contacted the ‘Mobiliteitsdienst’ of the city of Leuven and the ‘Preventiecel’ of the Police to inform

if they wanted to support our initiative. I wanted to give the participants the opportunity to get their

bikes engraved, checked and repaired during the breakfast.

The Police was very enthusiastic and willing to engrave the bikes on the 5th of June. I contacted Velo

about the bike repair. This organization, a partnership between the City of Leuven and the Catholic

University of Leuven, was also willing to cooperate (see Annex II.a.).

In order to raise awareness and create some buzz around World Environment Day, we sent out

several Flashes concerning WE Bike to Work (Annex II.h.). Via the voting buttons of one of these

Flashes, the employees could indicate if and how they wanted to participate in the event. Next to the

Flashes, I also created flyers (Annex II.d.) and posters (Annex II.e.). I put the flyers on the desks of all

the employees of the Western European Zone and hung up the posters through the whole building.

I also set up a tombola for all the participants. The first prize was a bike worth €500. Two weeks in

advance, I bought the bike at Jacobs, a local bike dealer, and I put it in the entrance hall as a

manifest teaser. On the 5th of June, the participants could subscribe for this tombola via tombola

registration forms that I created (Annex II.f.).

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In order to facilitate the organization of the carpool, I created a carpool registration form and hung it

up on the bulletin board of the cafeteria. By means of this form, people could find a ‘carpool buddy’.

We informed the employees about the carpool registration form via the above mentioned posters

and Flashes.

World Environment Day turned out to be a big success. I was present at 6:00 am to put everything

ready for the morning event. 115 Employees of the Zone Headquarters participated and came by

bike, others carpooled or came by public transport. Thanks to the efforts of the Corporate Affairs

team, some journalists came over and covered the event (see Annex II.i. and II.j.).

World Environment Day was also successful in all the other Business Units. Eventually, Germany won

the Zone competition and ‘my’ Zone Headquarters event finished second.


The organization of World Environment Day was the task that gave me the most satisfaction. I had

the final responsibility and could be very creative in my approach. I enjoyed having the lead over an

event and putting things on the right lines.

Next to this, I found it very interesting to work closely together with the Corporate Affairs

Department and the Special Events Team.

The organization of this event gave me the possibility to show my capabilities to a big part of the

company. Marc Croonen, the Vice President People & Management was full of praise for the

initiative and the organization of it. He personally and explicitly congratulated me with my approach.

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3.3 The organization of the LPC Western Europe

3.3.1 Background

The Leadership, Performance and Change meeting Western Europe (LPC WE) is an annual meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to further cascade the messages from the Global SLC (Senior Leader

Convention) earlier that year, but also to look back at HY1, layout the plans to deliver in HY2, share

best practices and recognize extraordinary actions and people. The LPC is the platform to better

understand the challenges Anheuser-Busch InBev’s leaders are facing, and to support each other in

formulating the right answers to them.

The LPC WE is traditionally organized by the Internal Communication Department. Originally, the LPC

meeting was planned for the 29th and 30th of June. Two weeks on beforehand, the Zone Management

Committee decided to postpone the meeting due to circumstances.

The new date was set on 17th and 18th of September. Due to this postponement, a lot of preparative

work had to be redone. Next to the fact that we had to reschedule and rebook everything, the

Mancom decided that the top 150 of the Senior Leaders had to be invited instead of top 100. This

increase in invitees was made possible by the excellent results of Anheuser-Busch InBev during the

first half year of 2009.

Another consequence of the LPC’s postponement was that the LPC itself found place when my

internship was already over. Nevertheless, Kristien and Laurence asked me if I was willing to help

them during these two days.

During my internship, I needed to schedule weekly meetings with Kristien, Pietro Hofling and

Christophe Nys, two men of the Special Events Team. These two men organize a lot of big events

such as the ‘Joe Piler’ bar at the Belgian festivals and diverse events with regard to the Jupiler

League. Their expertise and knowledge in the field of the organization of events was invaluable. They

took care of a lot of practical arrangements: the reservation of the hotel, the catering and the

logistics.

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Beside the meetings with the Special Events Team, I also had to plan weekly meetings with Kristien

and Alexandre Bouchet. Alexandre is the Director of Internal Communication and he wanted to get a

weekly update on what had been done and what still needed to be done.


3.3.2.1 Invitation Senior Leaders

First of all, the top 100 of the Senior Leaders had to be invited. I looked up the invitation mail of last

year and made some adaptations to it. We put a registration form and a PowerPoint Presentation

with some necessary info concerning the location in attachment. I also stressed the fact that we

encouraged room sharing in order to reduce costs.

Kristien sent out this invitation. The Senior Leaders had to fill in the registration form and send it

back to Kristien. Kristien then sent these registration forms to me. See Annex III.l. for the invitation

mail.

3.3.2.2 Registration Senior Leaders

I collected all the registrations and consolidated them into one Excel sheet. See Annex III.k for this

sheet.

Once I received all the registrations, I checked the registration form for possible errors. The

arrangement of the room sharing was the aspect that demanded the most attention. Via the

registration form, invitees could indicate whether they were willing to share rooms. If they were

willing to share rooms, they could fill in the name of the person with whom they wanted to share a

room.

Some invitees merely indicated that they wanted to share a room, but did not fill in the name of a

roommate. Others filled in the name of a person who was already sharing a room with somebody

else. I called up these persons in order to solve these practical issues.

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3.3.2.3 Action log

The organization was a big project and brought a long a lot of details. As a consequence, a

meticulous follow-up of all the actions was necessary. For this purpose, Kristien sent me a template

for an action log. In my action log (Annex III.a), I registered all the actions together with the due date,

the responsible of each action and traffic lights. These traffic lights indicated whether an action was

completed, delayed, in progress or not yet started.

3.3.2.4 Agenda

I drew up the LPC’s agenda in consultation with Kristien. It was important to have a diversified

schedule in order to maximize the attention and concentration of those present. I also had to take

the personal agendas of the Executive Board Members into account. Carlos Brito, the CEO, could join

us only on the second day, while other Board Members could only be there on the first day. The

agenda and the topics of presentations had to be adapted to the presence of these Executive Board

Members. I put an excerpt of the agenda in Annex III.b.

The final version of the agenda had to be approved by Alain Beyens, Zone President.

3.3.2.5 Recognition

A very important topic on the LPC’s agenda was the recognition. By means of a recognition ceremony

on the first day of the LPC, we wanted to recognize and celebrate those employees ‘going the extra

mile’. We wanted to recognize people or departments with regard to five categories: Anheuser-

Busch InBev Owners, Business Service Center, World Environment Day, Voyager Plant Optimisation

and World Class Commercial Platform.

In order to reduce costs, I made the certificates for all of these recognitions (Annex III.g.) myself.

The most important recognition is the one of the Anheuser-Busch InBev Owner. The Anheuser-Busch

InBev Owners program is a global story-telling initiative bringing the Anheuser-Busch InBev Dream,

People and Culture to life. It is a showcase for real examples of Anheuser-Busch InBev people putting

the Ten Principles into practice.

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This year, there were four elected Owners in the Zone Western Europe: two from Germany and two

from the Netherlands. I was responsible for the organization of the visit of the two German Owners.

Among other things, I booked their flights and the hotel. I co-organized a brewery visit in Leuven for

them and drew up a personal agenda. I included some organizational mails in Annex III.h.

3.3.2.6 Practical arrangements

The Leadership, Performance and Change Meeting is an event that requires a lot of practical

arrangements. Below I will discuss a couple of the arrangements that I made.

I made the table groups and the best practice groups. In order to encourage the networking, it was

important that the groups were a mix of different functions, levels and nationalities. See Annex III.i.

and III.j. for the table and best practice groups.

Another important event at the LPC WE was the Best Practice Event. During this event, six people

from different departments present their ‘best practice’. At Anheuser-Busch InBev, it is very

important to constantly think about better ways to do things. This flows from a real sense of

ownership. A best practice is a new way of working that has impact, is cost-effective, efficient and is

easy to implement.

The Best Practice Event was scheduled on the second day of the LPC. The six presenters each had

their own presentation room in the hotel. We decided to limit each time slot of the Best Practice

Event to 15 minutes: 8 minutes of presentation, 5 minutes of Q&A and 2 minutes to move from one

presentation to another.

I split the invitees into six groups and set up a simple rotation planning for the event (Annex III.c.). In

order to indicate the timing, I made timing signs. With the help of these signs, the presenter can

check how much minutes he still has left (Annex III.f.).

I also made doorplates with the name of the room and presenter on it (Annex III.d.). Next to this, I

also made the certificates for the winners and participants of the Best Practice Event (Annex III.e.).

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The organization of the LPC was very complex and required a lot of hard work. It was quite

frustrating that this meeting was postponed to the 17th and 18th of September. We had to overdo a

lot of things and I would not be there anymore during the last preparatory month.

Next to this postponement, the organization of the LPC was complicated by the fact that Simon

Wuestenberg moved to the Sales Department and Kristien took up a role in the Planning and

Performance Management. As a consequence of Simon’s move, nobody within the Internal

Communication Team Western Europe had ever organized the LPC before. In August, Laurence

Andrianne became the new Internal Communication Manager Western Europe but Kristien still kept

the lead over the organization of the LPC. This situation caused a bit of frustration from both

Kristien’s and Laurence’s side since they both had a completely different approach. As an intern, I

tried to stay neutral and please both of them.

I experienced the difficulties of working in a company that wants to be a ‘People Machine’. Most of

the employees at Zone level are busy with the development of their own career. As a consequence, a

lot of them move to another function within one or two years. The risk is that there is no continuity

in the operation and organization of events like the LPC.

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3.4 The writing and sending of ‘Flashes’

3.4.1 Background

The use of ‘Flashes’ is one of the most frequently used communication channels within Anheuser-

Busch InBev. A Flash is a relatively short mail with a news flash concerning the organization. This is

used to announce all types of news or reminders.

There are two templates for a standard Flash: one for the Zone HQ and one for the Senior Leaders.

Depending on the message and the target audience, the Flash has to be sent in one or two

templates.


During my internship, I wrote a lot of Flashes. Generally spoken, I wrote two types of Flashes:

announcements concerning changes within Anheuser-Busch InBev and reminders concerning

ongoing internal processes that required the employees’ input.

For the greater part, the announcements concerning changes were announcements of people who

were leaving the company or who took up another function within Anheuser-Busch InBev. First,

Kristien briefed me on who was leaving or took up another role. Then, I asked the People Support

Managers for the curriculum of the concerned people. Based on the information I gathered, I wrote a

short summary of their career within Anheuser-Busch InBev. It was important to mention their

biggest achievements and to formulate the changes in a positive way. See Annex IV.b. for a Flash

concerning a change.

The Flashes concerning the ‘Competency Review Process’ (Annex IV.c.) or ‘Target Setting Process’

(Annex IV.a.) had to have a totally different style and tone. These communications had to contain a

strong and direct call to action. I learned that this communications needed to be powerful and

concise. Because of the fact that employees at Anheuser-Busch InBev receive a mass of emails every

day, it was important to visualize as much as possible.

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3.5 Presentations

3.5.1 Monthly Calls

Every month, the Internal Communication Manager Western Europe is responsible for the

presentations of Alain’s Monthly Call and Marc’s Monthly Call. Alain is the Zone President and his call

is a business update on all the Functions. Every Vice President has to send his or her input to the

Internal Communication Manager Western Europe. The Internal Communication Manager Western

Europe has to make a comprehensible, consistent and attractive presentation based on the received

input. As a Communication Manager, you also have to make sure that everyone that has to give his

input, actually does this. See Annex V.a. for an excerpt of a presentation for Alain’s Monthly Call.

The same goes for Marc’s Monthly call. Marc is the Vice President People & Management; his call is a

monthly update and briefing concerning the People & Management Department.

When I arrived at Anheuser-Busch InBev, on the 27th of April, one of the first things that I had to do,

was working on the presentation for Marc’s Monthly Call. In both July and August, Kristien was on

holidays on the day of Marc’s Monthly call, so she entrusted this task to me.

By making these presentations, I learned to be very perfectionist. Because these presentations were

for the most important leaders of the Western European organization, Kristien repeatedly insisted on

the importance of the perfection of these presentations.

I also had to make sure that I understood everything that was in the presentations, so I learned a lot

about Anheuser-Busch InBev and the business by making the Monthly Call presentations.

In included the presentation of Marc’s Monthly Call of July in Annex V.b.

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3.5.2 Engagement

The second kind of presentations that I had to make, were presentations concerning the

engagement. Every year, Anheuser-Busch InBev conducts an engagement survey amongst its

employees.

Alain Beyens, the Zone President, visits all the plants where the engagement was below average in

2009 or where the engagement index had decreased strikingly in comparison to the year before. The

purpose of his visits was to organize ‘round tables’ and listen to the local complaints and problems.

For every plant that Alain visited, I had to analyze the results of the engagement survey and

summarize my findings concerning that particular plant in a short presentation. Alain used these

presentations to start the round tables, because they briefly summarized and discussed the main

problems of that particular plant.

It was very important to visualize as much as possible. See Annex V.c. for a presentation concerning

the engagement results.

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4. Conclusion

During my internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev, I learned a lot of things that will be useful for my

future career. This varies from certain skills to business insights. Because of the fact that I had very

diverse tasks, I developed a lot of different professional skills.

At Anheuser-Busch InBev, Outlook is very important. This application includes an e-mail client,

calendar, task manager and address book. I learned to use Outlook to schedule my day, send meeting

requests and book meeting rooms.

Next to Outlook, I learned to operate PowerPoint and Excel in a more professional way. My

PowerPoint and Excel skills were very basic. During my internship I constantly worked with those two

applications. Kristien Abbeel, my mentor, is a very perfectionist person and she constantly taught me

little, but very useful things about operating these applications.

As an Internal Communication Manager Western Europe, you are in close contact with all the

functions and departments within the company. Due to this, I gathered a lot of information,

knowledge and insights concerning the operation and structure of a big multinational. When I had to

make presentations for Alain’s or Marc’s Monthly Call, Kristien obliged me not to just incorporate the

input of the different departments. She wanted me to understand everything that was in those

business updates. Because of this, I spent a lot of time calling or mailing persons in order to ask for

further explanation and by doing so, I really got to know Anheuser-Busch and its way of operating.

Thanks to this, I gathered a lot of business insights that I surely can use in the future. In this respect,

the courses of economics and marketing proved to be very useful. These courses and the guest

lectures contributed to a general business insight that was necessary for the success of my

internship.

When I now look at myself, I can state that through my internship, I have developed in different

ways.

First of all, I learned to cope with stress, deadlines and responsibility. At Anheuser-Busch InBev, they

think big and set the bar high. They think that great people perform better when they are under

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pressure to achieve results. This also goes for the intern’s responsibilities and pressure of work. This

competitive and result-oriented spirit was quite a change if you are used to a rather carefree

university life. My days at Anheuser-Busch InBev were booked up with deadlines, meetings and

conference calls. Nevertheless, it was a real pleasure to notice that my colleagues and my mentor

considered and treated me as a full team member.

To get things done at Anheuser-Busch InBev, it is important to act very self-assured and hands-on. In

the beginning of my internship, I was too much aware of my position as an intern. It was quite

overpowering for me to share my desk with Directors. Kristien told me that I had to act as a full team

member and as a real Anheuser-Busch InBev Owner. As an intern, I also was expected to think big

and set the bar high, for both myself and my colleagues. I had had to impose deadlines to the

Communication Managers of the Countries, supervise them and chase them to do things.

At Anheuser-Busch InBev, the People & Management Team Western Europe works in an open office,

at one big desk, without fixed seats. At times, we sat piled up with more than ten persons at one

desk. In the beginning, I found it hard to concentrate because people were constantly telephoning

and walking up and down. After a couple of days, I got used to it and started to appreciate the

advantages of it. Our team was very diverse, among my colleagues were lawyers, commercial

engineers, commercial scientists and psychologists. When I had a problem with Excel, for example, I

could simply ask it to one of the other people at the table and in no time, they learned me how to

write a macro. This as an example of the cross-functional and time-saving interaction that I learned

to make use of.

Kristien planned weekly reviews with me. Every Thursday, before going to the bar, we discussed the

result of my work, my skills and personal development. She discussed my strengths, weaknesses and

the progress I made. Kristien is a demanding and perfectionist person and these weekly reviews were

very confronting and informative for me. She told me that I was e very good and hard-working

intern. However, she did not want to review me as an intern, but as a full employee of Anheuser-

Busch InBev. I learned to use the feedback in a positive way and I considered it as an opportunity to

develop. These weekly reviews motivated me to work even harder.

- 99 -

One of the most important things that I learned during my internship was the fact that you learn

things by doing it. You learn on the spot. MTB provided me a solid basis to build my further career

on.

The subsequent master Multilingual Business Communication turned out to be an excellent

preparation to my internship. I did not only improve my language skills, but also learned that the way

you communicate a message is crucial. The communication has to be adapted to your target

audience. This was very important when I had to write Flashes or make presentations.

Next to the communicative aspect of MTB, the courses of economics and marketing proved to be

very useful. These courses and the guest lectures contributed to a general business insight that was

necessary for the success of my internship.

Thanks to the different group projects, I did not only learned how to work in a team efficiently, but

also to cope with stress and deadlines.

Overall, I can state that the past year of MTB was an extremely interesting and solid preparation for

my future professional life. I learned a lot of new things, gathered a lot of insights and I got the

opportunity to turn a lot of these things into practice during my internship at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

- 100 -

5. Bibliography

5.1 Printed sources

- Argenti, P.; Forman, J., The power of corporate communication. New York (McGraw-Hill)

2002.

- Bos, M.; Mastenbroek, J., Communicatie in organisaties. Cultuur, stijl en leiderschap. Alphen

aan den Rijn (Samsom) 1998.

- Boulogne, G. ; Groenendijk, J., Crisiscommunicatie. Alphen aan den Rijn (Samsom) 1994.

- Kotler, P.; Keller, K.; Robben, H.; Geuens, M., Marketingmanagement. De essentie.

Amsterdam (Pearson Education Benelux) 2008.

- Mucchielli, A., Communication interne & management de crise. Paris (Les Editions

d’Organisation) 1993.

- Putte, M. Van, Interne communicatie: van theorie naar praktijk. Bussum (Uitgeverij Coutinho)

1998.

- Reesink, R. (red.), Vat krijgen op interne communicatie: een diagnose-instrument. Alphen aan

den Rijn (Samsom) 2000.

- Riepl, W., De Belgische bierbaronnen. Het verhaal achter Anheuser-Busch InBev. Roeselare

(Roularta Books) 2009.

- Schoemaker, H.; Vos, M.F., Communicatiemanagement voor organisaties. Utrecht (Uitgeverij

Lemma) 1996.

- Vloeberghs, D., Interne communicatie. Een kijk op de functies van communicatie in

organisatieverband. Leuven (Centrum voor Communicatiewetenschappen) 1981.

- 101 -

5.2 Digital sources

- Anheuser-Busch InBev, Annual Report 2008. http://www.ab-

inbev.com/go/media/annual_report_2008 (20/08/2009).

- Anheuser-Busch InBev, Corporate website. http://www.ab-inbev.com/ (20/08/2009).

- Business Dictionary.com. http://www.businessdictionary.com/ (20/08/2009)

- Carlsberg Group, Annual Report 2008.

http://www.carlsberggroup.com/Investor/DownloadCentre/Pages/annualreport2008.aspx

(20/08/2009).

- Diageo, Diageo at a glance. http://www.diageo.com/en-row/AboutDiageo/Diageoataglance/

(20/08/2009).

- Heineken, Annual Report 2008. http://www.heinekeninternational.com (20/08/2009).

- Nashavandi, A.; Malekzadeh, A., Acculturation in Mergers and Acquisitions.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/258356 (15/08/2009).

- SABMiller, Company snapshot.

http://www.sabmiller.com/files/companysnapshot/SABMiller_company_snapshot.pdf

(20/08/2009).

- Schweiger, D.; Denisi, A., Communication with employees following a merger: a longitudinal

field experiment. http://www.jstor.org/stable/256304 (15/08/2009).

- Weber, Y.; Shenkar, O.; Raveh, A., National and Corporate Cultural Fit in

Mergers/Acquisitions: An Exploratory Study. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2634453

(15/08/2009°

- 102 -

6. Annex

I. Rollout of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev Principles and Competencies

a. High Level Process

- 103 -

b. Consolidation of the tenders

- 104 -

c. Translation and corrections by Internal Communication Managers of the countries

- 105 -

d. Corrections by K-Creation

Sander

In bijlage de door Anja Schulz goedgekeurd Duitse versies van de 10 principles. Bezorg jij deze ook

weer aan K-Creation ter controle ?

Mvg

Inge Nauwelaerts.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Hallo Sander,

Wij hebben post-it notes in pdf bijgevoegd.

Het gaat meestal over word breaks.

Groeten,

Best Regards, enjoy your day.

Dirk Vande Putte

Account Manager

K Creation & Production

Boulevard General Wahis 16c

B-1030 Brussels Belgium

Phone: +32 2 705 68 00

Fax: +32 2 705 37 30

Mobile : +32 495 278 152

e-mail: [email protected]

Visit our website http://www.kcp.be/

- 106 -

- 107 -

e. Follow-up of the process

Luc (Antilope)

Kan jij Sander meedelen hoe lang het duurt om hun drukwerk te drukken, na de goed voor druk

Sander,

Correcties van K-Kreation op de Duitse versie vrijdag ontvangen, correcties op de Franse (via Post)

net binnen, worden asap uitgevoerd. (zie stand van zaken hieronder)

Ik laat ondertussen de accounts voor iedereen maken om de goedkeuring op Insite te kunnen laten

gebeuren.

Stand van zaken 08/06/09_1:

ENG : OK VOOR DRUK

IT : OK voor Inbev , correcties van K-Creation verwerkt 03/06

DU : OK voor Inbev, correcties van K-Creation ontvangen 05/06, nog te verwerken door Antilope

FR : 3de correcties ontvangen 08/06/09, nog te verwerken door Antilope

NL : 2de correctieronde verwerkt en pdfs gemailed 04/06

Mvg

Inge Nauwelaerts

Luc (Antilope)

Kan jij Sander meedelen hoe lang het duurt om hun drukwerk te drukken

Inge

- 108 -

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Van: Laridon, Sander [mailto:[email protected]]

Verzonden: maandag 8 juni 2009 10:20

Aan: Inge Nauwelaerts

Onderwerp: Ten Principles drukwerk (AB InBev)

Dag Inge,

Even om te checken: heb je mijn mails met opmerkingen K-Creation ivm Duitse versies vrijdag

ontvangen? Correcties op Franse versies via de post ontvangen?

Verder: tegen woensdagavond zouden we deze fase uit het proces graag afronden. Desnoods laten

we goedkeuring door K-Creation vallen, zodat we snel kunnen overgaan tot online en formeel

goedkeuren en printen.

Hoeveel tijd hebben jullie precies nodig om te printen? Dit omdat we een deel van dat materiaal

tegen 29 juni nodig hebben.

Met vriendelijke groeten,

Sander Laridon

Internal Communication Western Europe

Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa

Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94

Visit us at www.ab-inbev.com

- 109 -

f. Order and delivery of the material

Hallo,

i have received the material.

Gruss

Birgit Eckardt

InBev Germany Holding GmbH

- 110 -

People & Management

c/o Brauerei Diebels GmbH & Co. KG

Brauerei-Diebels-Str. 1

D- 47661 Issum

Von: Laridon, Sander

Gesendet: Donnerstag, 23. Juli 2009 16:29

Betreff: Delivery DPC Material

Dear,

Could you let me know asap if you have received the new AB InBev Dream People

Culture Material?

Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,

Sander

From: Laridon, Sander

Sent: woensdag 8 juli 2009 9:27

Subject: Delivery DPC Material

Dear,

I’m mailing you to inform that the Dream People Culture Material will be delivered at the

beginning of week 30 (week of 20th July). Please make sure that someone is available to

receive the material.

Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,

Sander Laridon


Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

- 111 -

II. World Environment Day

a. Organization of the breakfast / welcome event at Zone HQ Leuven

i. Bike engraving

Geachte heer

Onze dienst werkt hiervoor samen met de stadswachten die de graveeracties uitvoeren. Onlangs graveerden ze trouwens jullie dienstfietsen.

Deze datum is in principe nog mogelijk. Meestal is het omwille van andere taken eerder op de morgen moeilijk te beginnen voor 9.30u. Ze zouden wel de verdere voormiddag kunnen graveren.

Is dit in orde voor jullie?

Met vriendelijke groeten

Kris Lippens

016/210696

Beste

Bedankt voor uw aanvraag.

Ik verzend uw mail naar de verantwoordelijke van de graveeracties, Kris Lippens.

Hij zal met u contact opnemen.

Met vriendelijke groeten

Johan Tuerlinckx

Preventiedienst

- 112 -

Van: Laridon, Sander [mailto:]

Verzonden: woensdag 20 mei 2009 13:22

Aan: Preventiedienst Leuven

Onderwerp: Fiets graveren

Beste,

Met AB InBev plannen we in het kader van World Environment Day op 5 juni (vrijdag) een Bike to work-actie voor alle werknemers. Deze dag is de start van een campagne rond duurzame mobiliteit (fietsen en carpoolen).

Op 5 juni organiseren we in de voormiddag een ‘Bike to work-event’. Alle werknemers worden aangespoord om met de fiets (of carpool) te komen. Op de site van Brouwerijplein 1 in Leuven organiseren we een ontbijt, tombola (waar we fietsen, fietsweekendjes etc weggeven) en dies meer voor de deelnemers.

Graag hadden we ook een standje gehad waar de deelnemers hun fiets kunnen laten registeren door deze te graveren. Via de website leuven.be kwam ik op dit contactadres terecht. Zou u me hiermee verder kunnen helpen? Wie moet ik contacteren, wat zijn de praktische details etc?


Sander Laridon




Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94


Sent: dinsdag 26 mei 2009 11:13

To: ABBEEL, Kristien; Wuestenberg, Simon

Subject: Graveeractie en Bike Check Up

Simon en Kristien,

Beide acties heb ik vast gelegd, tussen 8u en 10u à 10u30.

- 113 -

Ivm de graveeractie vroeg de verantwoordelijke of er toevallig niemand van ons donderdag 4 juni rond 19u30 de graveermachine kan gaan ophalen in de Mechelsestraat 162-172.

Dat toestel wordt voor 19u nog gebruikt en anders krijgen ze dit moeilijk om 8u bij ons.

Groeten,

Sander Laridon




Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94


Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa - Grote Markt / Grand' Place 1, 1000 Brussel/Bruxelles - RPR/RPM 0 417 497 106 Help save paper - do you need to print this email?

ii. Bike repair

Dag Sander,

Een antwoord op jouw vragen:

Toekomen: 7.55 u. (3 personen)

Anderen dingen nodig? : Elektriciteit indien mogelijk

Betaling: wij sturen achteraf factuur.

Succes morgen. Groet,

Jos Vandikkelen Velo

- 114 -

----- Original Message -----


To: [email protected] ; [email protected]

Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 11:29 AM

Subject: Fiets Check up

Beste Jos,

Morgen gaat onze Bike-to-work-actie bij AB InBev door, waarop we de bike check up van jullie gereserveerd hebben.

Met deze mail wou ik nog even checken of alles in orde is.

- Hoe laat komen jullie mensen precies toe? Adres is dus Brouwerijplein 1 (aan de vaart) - Hebben jullie nog anders iets nodig? - De betaling regelen we morgen ter plaatse?

Alvast bedankt!


Sander Laridon




Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94

- 115 -

b. Tombola registration form

- 116 -

c. Carpool registration form

- 117 -

d. Flyer World Environment Day

- 118 -

e. Posters World Environment Day

- 119 -

- 120 -

f. Tombola registration form

- 121 -

g. Action Log World Environment Day

- 122 -

h. Reminder with the picture of BeNeLux Mancom in cycling jerseys

Beste collega,

Vandaag is de laatste dag dat je je kunt inschrijven voor Bike to Work. Als je vrijdag,

5 juni per fiets, carpoolend of met het OV naar het werk komt, kun je genieten van

een gratis onbijt in GHQ!

REMINDER:

Zorg dat je je aangemeld hebt en dus geregistreerd staat als deelnemer want dan

maak je ook nog eens kans op één van die mooie prijzen zoals een gloednieuwe

fiets, Jupiler Blue jersey's of een (fiets) weekendje weg! De winnaars van deze

prijzen worden vrijdag, 12 juni bekend gemaakt.

Aanmelden?

Meld je nog snel aan via de voting buttons in de uitnodiging van Belgium, Internal

Communications of stuur direct een mail naar Belgium, Internal Communications (zie

- 123 -

Outlook)

Bedankt voor je deelname aan World Environment Day

&

JOIN US!

- 124 -

i. Pictures World Environment Day

- 125 -

j. Press coverage World Environment Day

Het Laatste Nieuws

Het Nieuwsblad

- 126 -

III. The organizatioin of the Leadership, Performance and Change Meeting Western Europe

a. Action log

- 127 -

b. Agenda

- 128 -

c. Rotation system BP Event

- 129 -

d. Doorplates BP Event

- 130 -

e. Certificate BP Event

- 131 -

f. Timing BP presentations

- 132 -

- 133 -

g. Certificates recognition

- 134 -

h. Organization of the recognition of the Anheuser-Busch InBev Owners

Many thanks for your help, Sander.

Please keep me updated with dates and facts once you know more. I will then finalize my

personalized programme in German language for the Thomas and Paul. They will feel

more comfortable when they get something upfront and know what will happen the two

days.

Kind regards,

Martina

- 135 -


Gesendet: Dienstag, 4. August 2009 17:27

An: Schouten, Martina

Betreff: RE: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Hi Martina,

I do not have an answer to all of your questions yet, but I would like to give you an

update of what we know at this moment:

- Ok for Paul Janzen.

- The costs are indeed covered by us.

- Hilde is on holidays, but I will ask Carine (Alain’s assistant) to book the flight for

Thomas Mucha.

- The reception, followed by the recognition ceremony will start at 19h (September

17th). If possible, he should arrive between 18h and 19h.

- Brewery visit is planned on the 18th of September, in the morning. I don’t know

the exact length of the visit yet. I can’t reach John Gysels at this moment. I will

get back to you as soon as possible with the exact timing of the brewery visit.

I will send you a personalized agenda with all the info for Thomas & Paul during the

following days, i.e. as soon as I get all the details concerning the brewery visit.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Sander Laridon




Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94

- 136 -

From: Schouten, Martina

Sent: dinsdag 4 augustus 2009 14:43

To: ABBEEL, Kristien

Subject: WG: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Hi Kristien,

Unfortunately, I have not received a response from you yet.

As regards transport I learnt that Paul Janzen will go by car together with Ulrich Balzer

(Plant Manager Issum). Thomas Mucha would like to fly from Hanover. Since I assume

that costs will be covered by a cost center in Belgium, I would suggest that flight booking

will be done by Hilde so that the fare goes automatically on the right cost center.

I have looked up following options:

or

Can you, furthermore, please let me know when the recognition ceremony will take place

and who would be the local contact for the gentlemen when they arrive or have any

questions? Also, I would like to know for what time the brewery tour is planned in Leuven

on September 18th and how long it will take.

I am about to set up an itinerary for the owners with as much information as possible.

Many thanks for your help.

Kind regards,

Martina

- 137 -

Von: Schouten, Martina

Gesendet: Montag, 27. Juli 2009 14:48

An: ABBEEL, Kristien

Betreff: AW: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Kristien,

Can you please give me an idea about the planned programm so that we can look for

flights before they get more and more expensive? How about the costs for travel and

accomodation of the owners? Will these be covered by a people cost center in Belgium?

Many thanks for keeping me informed.

Kind regards,

Martina

Von: Schouten, Martina

Gesendet: Donnerstag, 23. Juli 2009 11:52

An: ABBEEL, Kristien

Cc: Scheffler, Sigrun; Reuter, Christel; Lustig, Stefan; Balzer, Dr. Ulrich; Stueckle, Harald

Betreff: WG: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Hi Kristien,

Sorry for the delayed response but the InBev Owners have been on holiday the last

weeks.

I am pleased to inform you that both, Thomas Mucha and Paul Janzen, accepted the

invitation and will come over to Belgium in September.

In order to organize a nice package for them let us please align on the programm (what

is planned when, timings etc) so that I can arrange for the travel bookings.

Many thanks.

Martina

From: ABBEEL, Kristien

Sent: donderdag 9 juli 2009 14:55

To: Lustig, Stefan

Cc: Schulz, Anja; Van Roy, Karin

Subject: FW: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Hi Stefan,

- 138 -

It was nice to meet you in Munchen. I think the brewery visit went very well. Everyone

left a positive feeling!

I am writing you to invite the InBev owners in your team. As you know we would like to

invite Paul Janzen and Thomas Mucha to the Western Europe LPC in September.

We would like to know if Paul and Thomas are available on the new date, 17-18

September 09.

The idea would be to invite them to the dinner on the first night (17th of September),

and the next day (18th of September) offer them a tour in the Leuven plant (Karin is

organizing this).

Recognition of the Owners will take place on the first night (17/9) during the dinner.

Attached you find the letter signed by Alain, Ludo, Jens and Marc to invite them.

Please hand over the letter attached or send it to them by mail. As soon as they have

confirmed, we will arrange all practical details (transport, hotel, agenda etc)

(Anja, can you provide Stefan with a translation of the letter?)

Please confirm the presence of Paul and Thomas to me by July 17th .

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Kristien

Kristien Abbeel Internal Communication Manager WE Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa


Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94, Fax +32 (0)16 50 65 94, Mobile +32 (0)475 92 22 33

Visit us at www.ab-inbev.com Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa - Grote Markt / Grand' Place 1, 1000 Brussel/Bruxelles - RPR/RPM 0 417 497 106 Help save paper - do you need to print this email?

Dear Sander,

I suggest that Thomas Mucha spends the day in Brussels and does some

sightseeing and/or shopping and since Paul Janzen will arrive in the morning as well (car

pooling with Ulrich Balzer who needs to attend the rehearsals for Best Practice) they

could go together.

- 139 -

As far as I know it is their first trip to the Belgian capital so there is enough to explore...

Do you know whether there are organised tours by bus or walking tours through the city

center which they could join - ideally in German language? We should book such a tour

for them, starting let's say 10:30 or 11:00 am. So they can still check-in before and have

a coffee and croissant.

With regard to the brewery tour in Leuven do you have somebody in the plant who is

multilingual and could do the tour in German language? As far as the knowledge of

English is concerned I think that Thomas' level is basic. Paul understands and speaks

virtually no English.

I know the language barrier makes it not easier to organise the programme, but I am

sure we will manage... :-)

Any questions? Please give me a call.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards, Martina Schouten Assistant to Dr. Stefan Lustig / Arthur van Och / Henning Meyer !nBev Germany Holding GmbH Tel. +49 (0)421/5094 5092 Fax +49 (0)421/5094 815092 Email: [email protected]

Pflichtangaben gemäß § 35a GmbHG / § 125a HGB können über folgenden Link abgerufen werden: www.inbev-deutschland.de/pflichtangaben.htm


Gesendet: Montag, 10. August 2009 10:24

An: Schouten, Martina

Betreff: Program Thomas Mucha & Paul Janzen LPC

Dear Martina,

I’m mailing you concerning the LPC for the German ABI Owners.

Last Friday, I sent you the e-ticket for Thomas Mucha. He arrives quite early, at 8h20 in

the morning. The LPC officially starts at 16h45, but the reception and recognition only at

19h.

So there is a lot of time between his arrival and the start of the LPC.

- 140 -

Do you have any suggestion of what he would like to do during these hours? He can

come directly to the hotel and visit Brussels or work a little bit in the hotel or he can

come to our HQ in Leuven if he would want to work a little bit here….

Then another question: what is their level of knowledge of the English language? On the

first day, the presentations (before the recognition) are in English. And would they be

interested in these presentations (business update, Leveraging Zone for ‘Off-trade’ etc…).

Or do you think that, for instance, Paul Janzen is not interested in these things?

Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,

From: Andrianne, Laurence

Sent: donderdag 6 augustus 2009 13:55

To: Laridon, Sander

Subject: RE: Invitation InBev Owners Paul & Thomas to LPC WE

Ja je hebt volledig gelijk.

Dan moet hij maar naar ghq komen werken de eertse dag en met iemand meerijden naar de lpc



To: Andrianne, Laurence


Carine is er even niet.

Ivm brouwerijbezoek:

- Dan zouden er twee aparte brouwerijbezoeken moeten zijn, want de andere Duitse owner komt pas tegen ’s avonds. Geen idee of het mogelijk is voor degene die dat organiseren. Nu, dat lijkt me nog het minste.

- Wat ik wel denk, is dat het misschien aangenamer is als ze met twee trein op kunnen en rondleiding + middagmaal kunnen krijgen

Ik vraag Carine vlucht even op te zoeken als ze terug is.

Groeten,

Sander Laridon


- 141 -



Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94


Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa - Grote Markt / Grand' Place 1, 1000 Brussel/Bruxelles - RPR/RPM 0 417 497 106 Help save paper - do you need to print this email?

From: Andrianne, Laurence


To: Laridon, Sander


Zouden wij hem dan misschien de brouwerijbezoek de dag zelf kunnen laten doen?

En een vlucht terug naar hannover op dinsdag ochtend??

Welk zijn dan de vluchtopties?



To: Andrianne, Laurence


Laurence,

Enkel dan nog de volgende:

Dan komt hij wel al om 8u20 in Brussel aan…

Sander Laridon


- 142 -



Tel +32 (0)16 27 65 94

- 143 -

i. Table groups

- 144 -

j. Best Practice Event Groups

- 145 -

k. Consolidated registration form

- 146 -

l. Invitation mail

Western European Zone

Leadership,Performance and Change

Brussels,June 29-30,2009

Dear,

I’m writing to invite you to the Western European Leadership, Performance and Change

meeting on June 29 and 30 in Brussels.

The aim of the meeting is to further cascade the messages from the Global SLC earlier

this year, but also to look back at H1, layout the plans to deliver in H2, share best

practices and recognize extraordinary actions and people. This LPC is the platform to

better understand the challenges we are facing, and to support each other in formulating

the right answers to them.

A detailed agenda and meeting details will be sent to you over the following weeks. We

are already looking forward to welcoming you the 29th of June, at 4 PM at the same hotel

as last year, Husa President Park Hotel in Brussels (see attached map for more

coordinates). The meeting will end the 30th at 4PM.

Please make sure to fill in the attached registration form and send it back to

Kristien Abbeel before May 15th. Please note that we highly encourage room sharing.

This meeting is our next step towards achieving success in the challenging Western

European market this year.

I know WE can do it!

Kind regards,

Alain Beyens

Zone President Western Europe

- 147 -

IV. Flashes

a. Target Setting process

Briefing Bands V-VII Managers:

Target Setting process & Target Values Dear Band V-VII manager, On June 26 the Target Setting process for the second half year was kicked off. Today, only 22 % of bands V-VII have approved their targets in Southern Europe.

For those that have not yet approved their targets, please take immediate action! If your line manager has not yet initiated the process, urge him to do so this week. If your line manager has set your targets (incl target values) in Sharp, but he / she has not scheduled a meeting with you to discuss them, don’t hesitate to book the meeting yourself. If you as manager have direct reports, you are responsible for setting their targets as well, including the target values. Attached you will find an updated

version of the target catalogue which takes into account the remarks and

questions we received during the past weeks.

All bands V-VII managers have time until July 30th to approve their targets so please don’t leave this for the last moment. If your team can deliver against their targets, this will contribute directly to your own target achievement! As soon as your targets are set, you can start building your action plans to

achieve your targets for HY2!

In case you have any questions regarding the target setting process, please contact your People Manager. We count on you to make it happen! Kind regards, Patrick Mougin Chris Cools People Director Southern Europe Business Unit President Southern Europe

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b. People on the move

Changes in Finance Western Europe Dear colleague, We would like to inform you of a number of changes in the Western Europe Zone Finance team which will take effect from September 1st 2009. Roberto Schuback will take the role of Director Zone Control & Treasury. In order to further integrate the workings of the Zone Control and Treasury teams, we will combine the two activities under the leadership of this newly created position. Roberto joined Ambev in Brazil in 1994, and has been working in Western Europe since 2005. He has held several positions ranging from Sales, Treasury and IBS, taking him to his last appointment as Finance and IBS Director in the UK. He will succeed Steven Beersmans, currently Director Zone Control, and Karen van den Driessche, currently Director Zone Treasury. Steven Beersmans joined the company in 2005. He has been filling the role of Director Zone Control since July 2007. During that period he has been instrumental in improving the quality of our closing process, increasing the internal control mindset and building visibility and focus on CF & CWC together with Treasury and the countries. Before that he traveled extensively in several audit positions with a focus on commercial processes and risk management. We are exploring together with Steven other opportunities within the organization. Karen Van den Driessche, currently Director Zone Treasury, has accepted a position in the AB InBev Global Treasury team based in Leuven. In that role Karen will take on responsibility for a number of cash management activities across the world as well as continuing to support Western Europe on strategic treasury matters. Karen has been with AB InBev for just over a year having

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joined from Coca-Cola Enterprises where she held the position of Treasury Manager Europe. Roberto will be working closely with Karen in the months ahead to identify how to best leverage the Global treasury team in adding value to zone treasury activities while at the same time removing complexity at both the country and zone level. Please join us in thanking Roberto, Karen and Steven for their hard work and contribution to the business, and in wishing all three of them success in their coming challenges. Kind regards, Tom Dewaele Graham Staley

People & Management Director Support WE VP Finance Western Europe

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c. Competency review process

Reminder: Competency Review ! Dear colleague, Thanks to all of you who have already submitted their competency reviews and to all those who have begun the process. For all others, if you have not initiated the process, it is vital that you do so now. Action now:

� Line managers: In case you did not start the process in SHARP yet, please do so immediately. Check your planning and make sure you have enough time to complete the competency review process in time and for all your direct reports.

� For team members bands I-VII: In case you have not yet received a

meeting invitation from your line manager, don’t hesitate to request it.

� Remember, utilise the Competency Review Toolkit which was developed to help you both get the maximum benefit from the discussion.

Current status:

- 404 reviews still need to be started - 1419 reviews that were started have not been completed yet

Preferably, complete the Competency Reviews before going into the

peak Holiday Season!!

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Should you experience any technical problems, please contact the helpdesk. In case you have any questions regarding the review process, please contact your Learning & Development responsible, Kaat Standaert.

Let's make it happen! Kind regards, Marc Croonen VP People & Management WE

Keep up-to-date with AB InBev

news by visiting inside.ab-

inbev.com.

If you would like to comment on a

story or if you have any ideas on

how we can improve our

communications to you, please

email the Internal

Communications team in your

country.

Thank you.

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V. Presentations

a. Alain’s Monthly Call: excerpt from June

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b. Marc’s Monthly Call: excerpt from July

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c. Engagement: excerpt from Samlesbury brewery

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VI. Communication of the new corporate identity

a. Brito’s message: communication of the new company, its name and logo

(17/11/2009)

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce that we have completed the historic combination of our

two great companies, Anheuser-Busch and InBev, creating the world’s leading

brewer. Effective today, we will be known as Anheuser-Busch InBev. I want to

thank each and every one of you for helping pave the way to making the very first step

of this dream a reality – whether you helped plan for the integration or ensured that our

businesses continued to operate as usual despite the distractions.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is one of the world’s top-five consumer products companies

and our business spans across 30 countries, holding a number one or two position in over

20 markets. Our combined annual revenue exceeds 26 billion Euros (or 36 billion USD),

on a pro-forma basis for 2007. We have an impressive portfolio of over 200 brands

including our global flagship brand Budweiser along with Stella Artois and Beck’s; fast-

growing multi-country brands like Leffe and Hoegaarden; and strong “local jewels” such

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as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Quilmes, Michelob, Harbin, Sedrin, Cass, Klinskoye,

Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske and Jupiler, among others. Our leading global

distribution network enables us to deliver these brands to consumers around the world.

Anheuser-Busch has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, and

will remain headquartered in St. Louis, MO, along with our North American Zone. Our

global headquarters will remain in Leuven, Belgium. By going to www.ab-inbev.com, you

will have access to our new company website. Our new corporate image brings in the

best of both comnanies; the combined name and the eagle will be our strong, new

identity.

Our dream is to become the Best Beer Company in a Better World, and today marks

a decisive step towards reaching this goal. Both Anheuser-Busch and InBev have strong

histories in corporate citizenship, and it is imperative that, as Anheuser-Busch InBev, we

continue to explore ways to minimize our impact on the environment, promote

responsible drinking, and serve as responsible citizens in the communities in which we

operate. We will incorporate the best of InBev and Anheuser-Busch into these efforts.

To guide all of us in the pursuit of this dream, we have developed a set of principles for

Anheuser-Busch InBev, which you can view by visiting welcometoabInbev.com in

summary, these principles reflect that, whether we came from InBev or Anheuser-Busch,

we are a company of owners, who earn our business every day. We lead by example

and take a common sense approach to our business. We thrive in an environment that

values meritocracy, informality, and candor. Integrity, hard work, quality and consistency

are the keys to building our company.

As we look to the future, we must now work together to accomplish what we

envisioned when we announced this transaction back in July. Our priorities for the next

couple of years will be as follows: integrate our two companies, deliver on the announced

synergies and quickly deleverage our capital structure. We will continue to invest in our

brands to ensure their long-term strength and sustainability. We see significant

opportunities to internationalize Budweiser, by utilizing our expansive international

footprint. We will strengthen the positioning of our European brands in the U.S. by

leveraging Anheuser-Busch’s unparalleled expertise in this market. In the spirit of our

culture, we will learn from each other, identify and share best practices and seek

opportunities for efficiencies so that we can better serve our customers and consumers.

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The main strength of our new company will be our people. I have great confidence in

the strength of our people. We have talent and determination at every level of this

organization, and I know that we will all do what it takes to pull together - learn from one

another, respect each other, and, through hard work, build this great new company of

ours. Strong leadership will be key as we strive to achieve our longer-term goals. As

previously announced, Luiz Fernando Edmond will lead the North American region (NA)

as Zone President North America. Luiz is an outstanding executive who brings

tremendous experience from his most recent role as Zone President Latin America North

(LAN) and AmBev’s Chief Executive Officer. Luiz has been in the company for 18 years.

Dave Peacock will assume the position of President of Anheuser-Busch and lead the

U.S. organization. He has demonstrated his capabilities, leadership and professionalism

during his 16 years at Anheuser-Busch and has been a vital part of the integration

planning process. Joao Castro Neves will replace Luiz in LAN; Joao was CFO of AmBev

before spending the last 2 years leading our Latin American South Zone (LAS) where he

over-achieved in both years versus the budget. Joao has been in the company for 12

years. Bernardo Paiva will assume LAS after having led NA for one year. Before that

he was the VP of sales in Brazil for 3 years. He is a strong leader, with a strong

background in sales execution and has been in the company for 17 years. I am also

pleased to officially welcome August A. Busch IV, former CEO and President of

Anheuser-Busch, to the Anheuser-Busch InBev Board, where he will be a valuable source

of insight and support.

We have many challenges ahead of us considering the current economic climate and

the complexity of this integration. It will not be easy and we know from experience that

there will be bumps in the road. However, given our industry, our culture and our

people, we are confident that we are well-equipped to meet these challenges head-on.

Not only has the beer business historically shown resilience in tough times, but we also

have the advantage of operating with the best people, a lean structure and with great

geographic diversification between emerging and developed markets.

I speak for our entire management team when I say that we are honored to be part of

Anheuser-Busch InBev. The tremendous opportunities this combination brings to all of

us, as well as to our consumers, partners and shareholders, are powerful and

motivating. So, once again, my thanks to all of you for making this happen, and

continuing with us on our journey to build the Best Beer Company in a Better World. I

look forward to sharing news with you as we continue to make progress.

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All the best,

Brito

b. Invitation to welcome drink (20/11/2008)

Cheers! Welcome to Anheuser-Busch InBev ! To celebrate the official beginning of Anheuser-Busch InBev here at GHQ we invite you to a drink tonight! The drink will start at 5pm in the GHQ restaurant and you will get the chance to drink Bud and enjoy some real American snacks! We want to thank all of you for your enthusiasm, contribution and hard work to make this historical moment happen.

See you there! People Western Europe

• www.ab-inbev.com • www.welcometoabinbev.com

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c. Briefing Zone Internal Communication Managers

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d. Communication of the new corporate identity guidelines and templates and

templates (19/01/2009)

AB InBev: Corporate Identity Guidelines Dear colleague, The combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch brings about a new corporate identity. The new corporate identity (CI) connects all employees across the world, and at the same time shows our pride to be part of this group. Moreover, a uniform way of showing us to the outside world builds trust with our external stakeholders because they can easily recognize our company.

Many questions were raised on this corporate identity: which e-mail signatures to use, questions about the logo, stationary, PowerPoint templates etc. We are now ready to share the CI guidelines with you. 1/ Basic rule The new CI must be adopted with common sense and without incurring unnecessary costs. This means we should not throw away existing material and not order the new AB InBev branded material as long as we have stock.

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This also means we can adopt all new material which is made available without a cost price, such as the logo, powerpoint templates, colour palettes, newsletter layout etc. 2/ Adoption period No specific adoption period has been set. It is however strongly recommended that we move to new CI within the year, as budgets allow. 3/ Do I have to change my email signature?

Everyone from the Zone WE HQ should change their email signature to the following format:

[First name] [Last name] [Jobtitle] Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium [Tel number], [Fax number], [Mobile number]

Visit us at www.ab-inbev.com Anheuser-Busch InBev nv/sa - Grote Markt / Grand' Place 1, 1000 Brussel/Bruxelles - RPR/RPM 0 417 497 106 Help save paper - do you need to print this email?

4/ Where to find detailed info and templates? To find out more on the CI guidelines, I refer to the presentation developed by the global marketing team, “AB InBev Visual Guidelines”. The presentation covers a wide range of topics, from our logo to color palettes for powerpoint presentations to letterheads.

Click Here to open the file. � If you have any questions, general or specific (e.g. you want to develop new

material like templates with specific brand photography), please contact Dirk Van de Putte from K-Creation, the company that helped developing our new corporate identity. Dirk is the first point of contact for all questions related to CI.

Contact details of Dirk van de Putte Phone: +32 2 705 68 00 Mobile: +32 495 278 152 E-mail: [email protected]

� Alternatively you can contact your internal Communication Manager, Kristien

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Abbeel.

Kind regards, Internal Communications WE

New Anheuser-Busch InBev PowerPoint templates Dear colleague, As mentioned in an earlier message on corporate identity, we have developed new communication material for our combined company, Anheuser-Busch InBev.

You will find a selection of new PowerPoint templates in attachment If you want to develop new templates with specific brand photography, please contact Dirk Van de Putte from K-Creation, the company that helped developing our new corporate identity. Dirk is the first point of contact for all questions related to CI.

Contact details of Dirk van de Putte: Phone: +32 2 705 68 00 Mobile: +32 495 278 152

E-mail: [email protected]

Kind regards,

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Internal Communications WE

e. Communication of the new Ten Principles

Dream People Culture: New Principles & Competencies

Dear colleague,

You are all familiar with our dream, people, and culture (DPC) platform, the common driver throughout the company uniting people wherever they operate. Our dream, people, culture concept is translated into ten principles. These principles form the foundations of our dream, people, culture defining who we are and how we act. Our competencies translate our DPC into behaviors. With the combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch, our Principles and behavioral Competencies have slightly evolved to represent the new reality.

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• The 10 Principles 1. Our shared dream energizes everyone to work in the same direction: to be the best beer company in a better world.

2. Great people, allowed to grow at the pace of their talent and compensated accordingly, are the most valuable assets of our

company

3. We must select people who, with the right development, challenges and encouragement, can be better than ourselves. We

will be judged by the quality of our teams.

4. We are never completely satisfied with our results, which are the fuel of our company. Focus and zero-complacency guarantee

lasting competitive advantage.

5. The consumer is the Boss. We connect with our consumers through meaningful brand experiences, balancing heritage and

innovation, and always in a responsible way. 6. We are a company of owners. Owners take results personally.

7. We believe common sense and simplicity are usually better guidelines than unnecessary sophistication and complexity.

8. We manage our costs tightly, to free up resources that will support top-line growth.

9. Leadership by personal example is the best guide to our culture. We do what we say.

10. We don’t take shortcuts. Integrity, hard work, quality and consistency are keys to building our company.

• The 6 competencies

1. We think big and take on big challenges—sets the bar high, never

satisfied with results, and constantly strives to be the best 2. Develops the best people & teams--attracts, directs, motivates and

develops others to provide the maximum contribution to the business 3. Has impact & influence—inspires others and gains commitment to

achieve maximum results 4. Acts as an owner—always acts in the best interests of the company,

taking results personally 5. Executes with discipline--aligns and follows the Anheuser-

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Busch InBev way to achieving results: simple, focused, and disciplined. 6. Leads by example—walks the talk, as an Ambassador for our culture,

doing things the right way. The new tools (poster, powerpoint presentation, brochure etc) exist already in English. To download them, go to the following webpage: http://www.inside.ab-inbev.com/resources_details.cfm?resources_id=3

Kind regards, Internal Communications WE

the creation and communication of a new corporate identity at anheuser-busch inbev

Documents