eineken has devised a novel plan to reach male drinkers in the UK - give freebies to their wives and girlfriends, who buy 65 per cent of the premium lager in the supermarkets as a part of their weekly shopping.

The Dutch lager giant, famous for its "refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach" campaign, sent out a direct mail offering free and discounted beer to women. "Housewives notice what their husbands drink in the pub," said Leslie Meredith, director of marketing at Heineken UK. "Everyone says that direct mail doesn�t work with lager, that it�s too girly and should be used for shampoo," Meredith said. ... more