InnoFair is an important step in AB’s innovation journey! We use many of the submitted concepts as a key input to our i-Semester, where we finalize plans for our future product development pipeline.
Some technologies have longer development timelines to find their best fit. Back in InnoFair 2015, a supplier brought forth a technology for a re-sealable can lid. While the opportunity was exciting, it didn’t immediately suit any of the biggest consumer needs for our brands at that time.
Flash forward to today, and NUTRL Vodka Seltzer is a new megabrand that didn’t exist in 2015. Given the unique regulations around spirits products that require re-sealable containers above certain sizes, NUTRL would potentially be restricted in offering large Single Format offerings within their portfolio. Because this concept was still within our InnoFair archives, we were able to quickly identify the opportunity to commercialize under NUTRL.
In spring of 2023, NUTRL launched the first large format re-closeable can within our portfolio, and utilized this InnoFair concept to expand consumer occasions for the brand!
Within the beer space, glass bottles are the staple container for beer. While aluminum bottles emerged to blur the lines between bottles and cans, these offerings were standardized across brands and did not allow for substantial differentiation across price tiers.
From our InnoFair Premiumization brief, one of our key partners brought forth the capability to shape aluminum bottles into more unique container offerings. This capability allowed us to launch an aluminum bottle for Stella Artois that kept the premium and unique attributes that the Stella glass bottle embodies for the brand.
This bottle won the 2021 AB InBev Global Creative X Award for best global packaging design, and was utilized in a partnership with the James Beard Foundation to support restaurant recovery during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In a sea of sameness on store shelves, it is becoming more important than ever to stand out to consumers at first glance. With a standard square packaging configuration, it is easy to get passed over on a quick scan of the aisle.
Through our 2019 InnoFair, one of our key suppliers emphasized flexibility, and provided technology that delivered many unique options for our secondary packaging. With consumers in mind, this technology gave us control over the logo placement, primary container windows, and carrying options for the part of packaging that consumers see and interact with first.
These new capabilities allowed us to offer a premium design aesthetic that stands out at shelf versus competition and have been proven to drive higher rate of sale than traditional packs.
With the goal to recruit new consumers in new occasions, we challenged our suppliers to bring differentiated packaging and liquid innovations. Our frozen portfolio was born out of InnoFair 2018, when a new supplier presented a unique opportunity to produce frozen popsicles and pouches.
These frozen products offered unique and incremental products for the AB portfolio, allowing us to capture key share in the frozen segment. We have ambitions to continue developing new packaging platforms, and have learned how incremental these differentiated products can be for our Company.
Help us find new ways to reach new consumers in new occasions!
