Tres Cruces Brand Positioning
Client
Heineken / Tres Cruces
Industry
Consumer Goods / Beer
Year
2021
Role
Strategy Consultant (agency-side)
Context
Heineken entered the Peruvian market through the acquisition of Tres Cruces, a local beer brand founded in 2011. Despite its presence, the brand had low traction in a highly consolidated beer market. The category was dominated by AB InBev, holding ~98.6% market share. Local competitors relied heavily on traditional beer-category narratives (friendship, football, tradition), making differentiation difficult.
Objective
Define a clear and differentiated brand positioning for Tres Cruces. Enable the brand to compete emotionally in a highly saturated and loyalty-driven market. Create a unifying strategic foundation for internal teams and external partners.
My Contribution
Conducted consumer and non-consumer research (social listening + interviews). Analyzed market and brand landscape using Heineken-provided data. Designed and facilitated collaborative workshops with brand, trade, and sales teams. Developed the strategic brand positioning framework. Synthesized findings into a one-page positioning document used internally and externally.
Process
Social listening to identify cultural narratives and emotional patterns. Qualitative interviews with consumers and non-consumers. Review of market research and competitive positioning (Heineken inputs). Collaborative workshops with cross-functional stakeholders. Synthesis of insights into a structured positioning framework. Translation of insights into campaign-ready strategic direction.
Key Insights
Beer brands in Peru were already targeting communication territories related to friendship, soccer, and tradition. A large portion of the population—and Tres Cruces' target audience—identifies with resilience and constant effort in everyday life. However, the celebration is often postponed. Resilience is part of Peru's history, from the Incas to the present day. Its relentless fighting spirit is a source of national pride. Existing brand narratives did not fully reflect the lived emotional reality of the audience. There was an opportunity to create emotional differentiation through recognition, encouragement, and validation of effort.
Outcomes
Positioning framework adopted internally by Heineken teams. Regional validation of strategic direction. Used by agencies and partners as a reference for campaign development. Led to campaign concept: "Tres Cruces, the sponsor of the bravest." Enabled broader brand storytelling across multiple talent groups (athletes, entrepreneurs, creators).
Key Learnings
Differentiation often comes from stepping outside category conventions rather than competing within them. Emotional relevance is stronger when it reflects unspoken cultural truths, not just brand values. Structured synthesis (e.g., one-page frameworks) is critical for alignment across large stakeholder ecosystems. Workshops are not just idea-generation tools; they are alignment and decision-making mechanisms. Strong positioning work must bridge insight discovery and execution readiness.
Strategic Approach
The work combined qualitative research and collaborative strategy development. I conducted social listening and interviews with consumers and non-consumers to understand cultural narratives and emotional drivers. This was complemented by market analysis and internal research provided by Heineken. I then designed and facilitated workshops with brand, trade, and sales teams to align perspectives and test emerging hypotheses. Insights were synthesized into a structured positioning framework and consolidated into a one-page document to ensure clarity, adoption, and usability across stakeholders and external partners.
Strategy
The positioning reframed Tres Cruces away from traditional beer-category narratives and toward a more emotionally grounded territory: recognition of personal effort and resilience. The strategy positioned the brand as a companion that acknowledges people's struggles and encourages them to celebrate their progress. This approach created differentiation in a market dominated by friendship- and tradition-based messaging. The concept was expressed through the idea of Tres Cruces as "a sponsor of the bravest," supporting individuals who actively pursue their goals in different areas of life.