AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — Heineken® is turning 150. The perfect time to talk about a brand’s heritage and honor its history, no? Instead, Heineken® is marking this milestone with a global campaign that shows how the brand doesn’t care how consumers drink, name, or spell it, as long as they are having a good time with it, one way or another.
Inspired by the words of Freddy Heineken: “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid” (which is a famous Dutch phrase meaning “the feeling of good times”), Heineken®’s latest creative pokes fun at itself by showing that good times are not generated by spelling or drinking a beer a certain way, but are instead enhanced and enjoyed through quality socializing and the power of real human connection.
The hero TVC, developed by advertising agency, Le Pub, takes viewers on a journey around the globe to showcase all the different ways people adapt and enjoy social moments and memories with Heineken® – while showing that they are not always done in the way the brand necessarily intended or expected. From an incorrectly spelled tattoo of the Heineken® logo to a beer being served with a lime, straw and even ice, the light-hearted film also features nods to the brand’s many sponsorship properties that have enabled good times, including featuring former Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen.
Bram Westenbrink, Global Head of Heineken® Brand, said, “We’re open-minded about the way that our consumers refer to us, how they spell and nickname us, and how they drink Heineken® because we know this doesn’t really matter. Throughout our 150-year legacy, we have learned that good times are not about getting it right but about the conditions, locations, and people we are able to enjoy a beer. While how we enjoy good times may have changed and may differ in each of the 192 countries we are sold in, the need for good times remains the same and consistent, just like our beer. So, this campaign is a celebration of that universally shared experience and the joy quality socializing and human connection can have for people, one way or another.”
“For 150 years, Heineken® has been more than a beer brand. With its witty, open-minded, and relevant behavior, it has brought global consistency and a strong local presence. Many would think that such an iconic brand would care about the way it is spelled or experienced globally. Actually, Heineken® thinks that as long as it is appreciated and people have good times, the real gezelligheid is achieved. That’s why we’ve created an unusual anniversary campaign, not self-celebratory or focusing on the Heineken® credentials and history but on the ways it is enjoyed across the world,” said Bruno Bertelli, Global CEO of LePub, Global CCO of Publicis Worldwide, and CCO of Publicis Groupe Italy.
In addition to the TVC, Heineken® is making its open-mindedness publicly known by playfully rebranding its social media accounts and website pages – using common spelling mistakes and colloquial nicknames to remind people it’s not the spelling but the experience that matters.
Highlighting the importance of generating and enabling “Good Times,” Heineken® has partnered with human behavioral scientist Dr. Chris Brauer, Goldsmiths, University of London, to construct a new brand tracking metric. The Heineken® Good Times Index looks at the conditions that consumers need to experience that feeling of good times and provides a score to Heineken® for how the brand is contributing to this globally. This new metric will now form part of the ongoing global brand tracking metric undertaken by Kantar and will ensure that it is holding itself accountable for supporting, enabling, and creating experiences that will enable good times now and into the future.
Heineken® is available in over 192 countries, making it the world’s most international beer brand. With Heineken® 0.0 and Heineken® Silver, the Heineken® brand remains one of the most innovative when it comes to choice and flavor, ensuring all modern needs and tastes are met.
