Forty-four years after its introduction into the Nigerian alcoholic beverage market, premium lager beer, Gulder, is now wearing a new look. The re-introduction and repackaging of Gulder, popularly called the Ultimate, was held at the Oceanview Grounds, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday, September 6, 2014.
The event marked the culmination of several weeks of a suspense-filled campaign tagged “The Cube is Coming”, which had millions of Nigerians guessing what the Gulder brand had up its sleeves.
Delivering his welcome speech, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., said the Gulder re-launch was in tandem with the company’s penchant for innovation, which has sustained the company’s leadership in the brewery sector.
He said: “In 1946, the story of innovation started with Nigerian Breweries Plc. We launched the Gulder brand in 1970 in a unique brown bottle with a unique logo and unique recipe. This unique beer is loved by millions of Nigerians who savour the taste every day, every week, every month and every year. Gulder was the first beer to be launched in cans, which is a further sign of its innovativeness.”
The Managing Director described Gulder’s new bottle launch as revolutionary. He further remarked: “It is a historic moment for the Gulder brand. The new bottle which was contained in the Cube reflects that this celebrated brand, Gulder, is at the forefront of advancement and I can assure that what you are going to see is the result of several years of hard work and skillset that the brewery industry has seen in a long while.”
The highlight of the occasion was the official presentation of the new bottle, which was performed by Messrs Walter Drenth and Hubert Eze, the Marketing Director and Sales Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc., respectively.
Mr. Drenth described the bottle as the most innovative in Nigeria. He said: “What we have done is to take Gulder from a 1970 bottle and transformed it to a 2020 bottle. I can tell you that this is the most innovative bottle in the Nigerian Beer market today. Let me also assure that despite the efforts and resources committed to giving our esteemed consumers of Gulder this classy bottle, the price and the taste remain the same.”
The event which coincided with the final selection party for Gulder Ultimate Search 11, was held amidst pomp and pageantry. There were several landmarks of the event, part of which was the delivery of the Cube, which contained the new Gulder bottle by all past winners of Gulder Ultimate Search.
This marked the first time in the annals of any Gulder event that all past winners of Gulder Ultimate Search viz: Ezego Egwuagwu (GUS 1 winner), Lucan Chambliss (GUS 2 winner), Hector Joberteh (GUS 3 winner), Dominic Mudabai (GUS 4 winner), Michael Nwachukwu (GUS 5 winner), Uche Nwaezeapu (GUS 6 winner), Oyekunle Oluwaremi (GUS 7 winner), Christopher Okagbue (GUS 8 winner), Paschal Eronmose (GUS 9 winner) and Dennis Okike (GUS 10 winner), were assembled under a single roof. These past winners, who now belong to the Order of Heroes, were heralded to the stage by an orchestra.
The guests at the occasion were also treated to a documentary which reflected the evolution of Gulder beer, from its 1970 introduction to the 2014 bottle evolution. They also viewed the Television commercial for the new Gulder bottle.
While Darey Art Alade, a past Gulder Ultimate Search anchorman and contestant was the event compere, hip hop crooner, Burna Boy, stunned guests with a performance of his hit track Yawa Deh Oh.
The final list of contestants for the 2014 edition of Gulder Ultimate Search was also revealed. This year, 14 contestants will proceed to the jungle, which is an increase in the number which had gone into the jungle in the past.
The lucky contestants are: Iwuoha Ikenna, Nwagboso, Joshua, Emedike Ikenna, Nne Cosy Joe, Ubachukwu, Chinedu, Otto, Canon Chimenem, Afolabi Emmanuel Olusegun, Iroh Noela and Appi Samantha.
Others are Erijakpor Loretta, Robinson Sharon, Eriata Blessing Ese, Addoh Evi and Nwagbagiro Sandra.
The new Gulder bottle has several revolutionary attributes. These include a premium Staniol, gold neck seal, conical shaped neck, strong masculine shoulder with Gulder embossment, distinctive metalized label, and a refreshed Gulder label.
It also has a tapered waist to emphasize the stamina. The Gulder bottle is also the first bottle with a double-sided embossing which aids gripping when the bottle is wet.
Prior to the September 6 bottle re-launch event, Gulder held a series of trade launch events, which introduced the innovative bottle to super key distributors, retailers and wholesalers as well as consumers of the premium lager beer across the company’s business units. The events were held in Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin and Lagos. The Abuja leg of the trade launch will be held on Friday, September 13.
These trade launch events afforded the brand’s consumers the opportunity of asking questions which border on price and taste. They were assured that the Gulder retained its crisp and unique taste and price, despite the change in bottle.
