The HEINEKEN Company Wins Big at Cannes Lions 2025
The HEINEKEN Company made a powerful mark at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, earning widespread acclaim for their bold, innovative approach to communication and creative excellence.
The HEINEKEN Company earned an impressive 27 Lions - four Gold, 10 Silver, and 13 Bronze - spanning four portfolio brands, fourteen campaigns and nine distinct categories, the most it has ever won at the festival to date. 25 Lions were in partnership with the global creative agency network LePub.
At the 72nd Cannes Lions, standout campaigns from The HEINEKEN Company earned major recognition, bonding the prominence of Heineken while highlighting the growing influence of locally born and globally backed brands like Tecate, Export Ultra and Desperados.
Celebrated for their bold creativity, originality, and cultural relevance, the Tecate and Desperados collectively took home an impressive nine Lions across multiple categories— further affirming their rising presence on the global creative stage.
Notably the Tecate Gulf of Mexico (Bar) campaign was praised by the juries securing an impressive haul of seven Lions. The work spectacularly transforms a boat into a floating bar visible on geolocation platforms, positioning Mexico with originality and paying tribute to its heritage and cultural identity. This initiative received multiple accolades including two Gold in the Outdoor and Brand Experience categories, four Silver Lions in Direct, Media, Social & Creator and Brand Experience, and one Bronze in PR.
Another major campaign was the iconic Desperados Guao Guao, which playfully brought together Colombian composer and Latin Grammy award winning OVY ON THE DRUMS, and Venezuelan rapper MICRO TDH. Their collaboration resulted in an official track and music video that perfectly captured the spirit of Desperados, the beer with the Latin vibe. It earned a Gold and a Silver Lion in the Film Craft; a recognition of how exceptional execution can elevate an idea. Through pitch-perfect casting and original music, this work exemplifies how exceptional craft can bring stories vividly to life and transforming storytelling into an unforgettable experience.
Heineken has long championed the vital role that pubs and hospitality venues play in culture and community life. A standout example of this commitment is the Pub Succession campaign that set a new standard for cultural engagement by delivering an innovative and fresh approach to tapping into cultural narratives. It involved a creative recruitment effort to find a successor for a historic pub in Ireland, blending cultural storytelling with marketing story branding. The project was honoured with three Silver Lions in the Outdoor, Media and Brand Experience & Activation categories, and two Bronze in Direct. These recognitions underscore its exceptional ability to engage audiences weaving the brand’s values, mission, and personality into narratives that resonate emotionally with consumer.
The outstanding Pub Museums project, which reframe historic pubs in Ireland as living museums drawing attention to the urgent need for their preservation cement its status as an inspiring example of creativity with cultural purpose. Praised for its authenticity and brand-driven awareness, the campaign earned two Bronze in the Media and the Creative strategy categories respectively.
Through dedicated initiatives, partnerships, and creative campaigns, the brand continues to support the resilience and revival of the HoReCa sector - offering not just visibility, but real economic and operational support to the institutions at the heart of social connection.
Starring Bars is a global initiative to film all Heineken commercials in partner bars that need help. So, when they’re not serving beers, they serve as sets, benefiting from rental income, production makeovers, and global visibility. The campaign secured a Silver Lion in the PR category and two Bronze Lions in Entertainment and Creative B2B, celebrating its powerful blend of purpose-driven support for local businesses and outstanding creative innovation - shining a well-deserved spotlight on the bars themselves. Heineken and LePub also stood out in Creative Business Transformation. Their Backing the Bars campaign, designed to support bars during the Covid-19 lockdowns, earned a Bronze Lion.
Heineken also emphasised its strong commitment to fostering social life and genuine interaction - reminding us that the best moments are shared in real life, not just online. The Excuses Bars campaign marked another daring step into the world of socialising, earning well-deserved recognition from the jury with one Bronze in Entertainment for Sport.
In the Creative Commerce category, Heineken received a Bronze for the Bar Dating campaign, encouraging users to ‘date’ different bars and offering a dynamic and diverse nightlife experience to refresh their social life.
Meanwhile, in the innovation sphere, The Flipper highlighted the importance of social interaction celebrating its smart integration of technology, insight, and behavioural influence. Behind this idea, as simple as it is brilliant, is Simone Giertz, an inventor and famous YouTuber who utilised AI-based voice recognition technology. The satirical invention won a Bronze Lion in Social & Creator, recognising the power of collaborations between brands and creators to drive engagement, cultural relevance, and audience impact across platforms.
With the Hidden Message campaign, Heineken took a bold stand at two major international events to tackle phone overuse and reignite real-world connection. By cleverly disturbing digital distractions in the concert space, the brand encouraged people to put their phones down, be present, and truly share the moment. This meaningful initiative earned a Bronze Lion in the Outdoor category, recognising its creative push to bring socialising back to the forefront.
As part of the pioneering Streaming Bars initiative, Heineken partnered with Netflix to enable Brazilian subscribers of the entertainment platform to purchase the official beer of the Senna miniseries (Heineken of course), directly from their screens for home delivery and have it delivered straight to their doorsteps. This creative idea earned a Gold Lion in Media (Use of Screens & Audio-Visual Platforms), praised by the jury for its strategic insight and creativity in maximising the potential of screen-based media to create meaningful, memorable connections with audiences across various channels.
Finally, as part of the global HEINEKEN Company portfolio, Export Ultra’s standout performance at the 2025 Cannes Lions reflects the parent company’s continued commitment to innovative and culturally resonant marketing. This year, Export Ultra earned two prestigious Lions in both Media and PR categories, including Use of Humour in Media and Innovative Use of Influencer/Creators in PR, thanks to its creatively executed 'Cold Call Back Service' campaign – with strategy, creative ideation and production led by Special New Zealand. These nominations, which earned a Silver and Bronze, reinforce The HEINEKEN Company’s reputation for bold storytelling and strategic excellence across markets.
These achievements reflect not only the brand’s creative prowess but also its versatility in delivering ground breaking ideas across diverse markets and formats. From strategic insight to brilliant execution and crafting, these projects were recognized for their ability to push the limits of innovation and cultural relevance through bold creative excellence and meaningful brand impact.
Bram Westenbrink, CCO at The HEINEKEN Company, said, “At HEINEKEN, creativity isn’t just part of what we do, it’s at the heart of how we grow. It’s how we stay relevant in an ever-changing world, connect meaningfully with consumers, and build brands that stand out across cultures and markets. This year’s recognition at Cannes Lions is a powerful reflection of that belief. From global icons to beloved local heroes, we were proud to take home awards across multiple HEINEKEN brands which is a testament to the diverse talent, bold ideas, and shared ambition of our teams worldwide. From local insights to breakthrough executions, these wins show what’s possible when creativity is embraced as a true business advantage. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and even more excited about where this creative momentum will take us next.”
Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of LePub and CCO of LePub Worldwide, added: “This year’s Cannes Lions have once again filled us with pride, driven by the outstanding performance of The HEINEKEN Company, which brought home an impressive number of Lions. The diversity of awarded work across brands like Heineken, Tecate, and Desperados is a testament to the power of bold, culturally attuned creativity. Each campaign reflects a unique voice, grounded in local insights yet universally resonant, showcasing the creative richness and depth of our brand portfolio. These wins are not just awards, they’re a celebration of creative expression that crosses borders, cultures, and expectations.”
