The brewer has also named Core as its new creative agency for Ciders
“Heineken Ireland has appointed Paula Conlon as the brewer’s new Marketing Manager for cider. In her new role, Conlon is responsible for marketing the company’s innovative and successful cider brands: Orchard Thieves and Appleman’s – both of which were designed specifically for the Irish market. The launches of these products in recent years have meant that HEINEKEN Ireland’s cider marketing team has had a particularly active period, with several major multimedia campaigns.
An experienced marketing professional, Conlon takes on the role having served for more than five years as HEINEKEN Ireland’s customer marketing controller. During this time, she was involved in several major HEINEKEN Ireland campaigns, most notably at the helm of the launch of Heineken 0.0 in the Off Trade Channel, the brewer’s flagship, market-leading non-alcoholic beer offering.
Prior to joining HEINEKEN Ireland, Conlon worked for three years at Britvic Ireland, where she held the position of Head of Commercial Operations. A graduate of DCU and the Smurfit School of Business, Conlon has also worked in the consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser.
Commenting on Conlon’s appointment, Maarten Schuurman, HEINEKEN Ireland Managing Director said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Paula Conlon as our Marketing Manager for Cider. Over the last five years, Paula has made a very significant contribution to HEINEKEN Ireland’s team. She moves into her new role at a pivotal moment for cider at HEINEKEN Ireland. She has a wealth of experience to draw upon as she takes on what promises to be a truly exciting brief.”
Conlon’s appointment comes as part of a broader evolution in HEINEKEN Ireland’s cider marketing strategy: the brewer has just named Core as its new creative agency for ciders. Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications company, will now work with HEINEKEN Ireland to grow market share for its Appleman’s and Orchard Thieves brands, across a number of their practices, including; Strategy, Media and Creative.
Geoff McGrath, Director of Transformation at Core, said: ‘’We are absolutely delighted with this appointment but we are more excited to have the opportunity to bring the work to market. This will be game changing for both our companies and we are so fortunate to work with a client team with such ambition and a compelling desire to do something different, something better. It is also very encouraging as we are really beginning to see more and more of our clients favour a truly integrated agency model.’’
