The beverage industry has a huge place people’s lives. Enjoying beverages, such as soft drinks or beer, with family and friends is seen as one of the best ways to relax. Due to steady demand, there is a large incentive for beverage companies to attract as many customers as possible. Product differentiation, the process of distinguishing a product from that of competitors, is one way by which companies attract customers.
Drinking beer together is a popular activity for many
In 1954, legendary industrial designer Raymond Loewy redesigned the iconic Coca Cola bottle to make it more slender. Like his predecessor, Marc Newman is looking to make an impact in the beverage industry. The world-renowned Australian designer teamed up with Heineken to come up with the company’s first-ever “in-home consumer product”, the Sub.
In Engineering Design lessons, Professor Devon has often mentioned the phrase “designing for need”. While reading about the Sub, this point was driven home. I find it interesting that this innovative product was a result of market research. Three years ago, Heineken conducted research that identified “market need for a product that would allow consumers to enjoy an upscale drinking experience in their own homes.” A few months later, Newman was recruited to work on this project. While completing Project 1, our focus was identifying the needs of the consumer and designing our smartphone accordingly. To see this phenomenon in action on such an industrial scale shows that “designing for need” is a key strategy for achieving success. Now that we have established the origin of the Sub, it is time to talk about its function and design. A discussion of the latter will prove to be very important with regards to Heineken’s target market for the Sub.
The Sub (middle), flanked by a Torp (left) and a glass of beer
Simply put, the Sub is a home draft beer machine. It has the ability to cool beer down to 2 degrees Celsius before serving, which according to Heineken is “four degrees colder than your fridge can get it”. The cooling technology itself works on storing beer under high pressure. Sold separately are beer-containing metal cylinders called ‘Torps’, which can be loaded into the Sub before service. A Torp can hold a maximum of 2 liters of beer, equivalent to 8 glasses. The Sub’s walls are made of anodized aluminium in order to make the device more resistant to corrosion.
The name of Heineken’s new product is no coincidence. The shape of the Sub resembles a submarine and the Torp is loaded into the Sub much like a torpedo. Heineken’s choice of design and nomenclature is a clear attempt to wow its target market: families looking to settle down and bring the drinking experience to the household. In an interview, Newman stated that he “had an obligation to create something beautiful and compelling to use”. At the center of the design is aesthetics and we see that the Sub has a certain panache to it. So meticulous was the design process that “even the sound it makes has been carefully studied”.
Attention to detail: Newman and co. were meticulous in their design choices
The ‘feel-good’ factor of owning this device is clearly the approach that Heineken is going with. The gold color iPhone 5S sold immensely due to its royal appearance and this shows that Heineken’s approach might be successful. While the Sub allows beer connoisseurs to have their own exotic bars, it comes with a few major trade offs. Currently, Torps come in 4 types of beer exclusive to Heineken. Furthermore, they are not available in the local store downstairs and need to be ordered online. The investment into the Sub might not be worth it for those who seek greater convenience or want to explore other varieties and brands of beer.
Due to its careful design considerations, the Sub possesses visual appeal to attract its target market. However, the creation of the product finds its origins in market need. The take home message is that the initial stage of designing a product, such as identifying consumer need, is just as important as physically designing it.
References used:
http://www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/the-sub-and-the-torp-the-heineken-innovation.php
the sub/torp idea has some but not much appeal for convenience and taste. It has a lot of appeal with industrial and affective design as you note. How is it selling?