Americans are ditching beer — here's how Anheuser-Busch InBev's new incoming marketing chief plans to fix it

Pedro Earp_March2018

Beer has an image problem, and giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev know that they must shake things up and innovate in order to survive.
AB InBev is trying to tackle the challenge by, among other things, appointing a new marketing chief who hails from ZX Ventures, the company's global innovation unit.
Earp told Business Insider that he will focus on consumer empathy, design and prototyping for its marketing efforts.
Improving technology and building deeper relationships with consumers is also a huge focus for the incoming brand chief.

Beer has an image problem. Americans are increasingly opting for wine, cocktails and other spirits over beer — and brewers are facing an existential crisis with declining sales and consumption.

Adult beverage giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev know that they must make huge changes in order to survive. Perhaps that is why the mass-market brewer has appointed Pedro Earp as its next chief marketing officer.

Earp has spent his entire career at AB InBev since starting at the company in 2000, with stints across marketing, consumer connections and mergers and acquisitions.

Most recently, he led ZX Ventures, AB InBev's New York-based global innovation unit, helping it spearhead new initiatives in e-commerce, craft and specialty beers as well as retail activations.

Business Insider caught up with the incoming marketing chief of brands like Budweiser and Corona for a chat. Here's an edited version of the conversation.

Tanya Dua: How has your time at ZX prepared you for your next role?

Pedro Earp: In 2015, we decided to create ZX as a sort of a separate independent arm, because when you're trying to be innovative and fast, you can't compete for resources with the big machine. We came to the conclusion that ...

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