Heineken Canada Champions Hardcore Football Fans

As the UEFA Champions League final approaches, Heineken is celebrating Canada’s real hardcore football fans in its latest marketing campaign.

Heineken's longstanding global partnership with the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier men and women’s club football competition, has always been about more than just sports. It's about fostering inclusion, equality, and access for all fans, because like Heineken, football can unite people and create meaningful connections.

Despite the rapid growth of European football's popularity in Canada, real hardcore fans often face obstacles to fully enjoying the sport they love, including a lack of dedicated venues to watch matches and difficulty finding a community of like-minded enthusiasts.

To recognise and reward Canada's dedicated football fans, Heineken is launching its Cheers to the Real Hardcore Fans Football campaign and creating the ultimate UEFA Champions League final viewing party. The catch? The venue remains a secret until Canadian hardcore fans unlock it using their knowledge of memorable Champions League moments to solve the clues on billboards and posters around Toronto.

Central to the Football campaign is the celebration of diverse football fandom. Heineken will showcase real stories of influencers who challenge traditional stereotypes of what a 'typical' football fan looks like. By highlighting the shared language of football's biggest moments, the campaign aims to unite fans from all walks of life.

From TV and online video advertising to digital engagement on platforms like YouTube, Reddit, and DAZN, Heineken's Football campaign aims to generate excitement and anticipation for the UEFA Champions League final. The culmination of the campaign will be an exclusive event where true hardcore fans, who have unlocked the secret venue, will enjoy the ultimate fan experience. The campaign also includes a TVC/OLV buy that highlights global campaign messaging and is focused on mass awareness of Heineken’s association with football. The buy includes one 30-second TV spot, two 15-second spots across TV and OLV, and one six-second OLV spot.

“With our new Heineken campaign, we want to show a witty twist on the 'hardcore fan' stereotypes, as we believe that true hardcore fandom is about passion and love for the game in a positive and sometimes quirky way. That's why we’re celebrating the diverse group of people who truly live and breathe the sport here in Canada, by creating a unique experience for them." said Jose Casillas, VP marketing, Heineken Canada.

“As creative partners on this campaign, we're thrilled to help Heineken celebrate what it means to be a real hardcore football fan in Canada. By speaking the language of the diverse and passionate community of Canadian football fans, we’re not only rewarding the efforts they put into their fandom but also promoting inclusivity and unity.” said Vini Dalvi, chief creative officer, Publicis Canada.

The campaign was done in collaboration with Publicis Toronto for strategy and creative, with its Sports & Entertainment team handling experiential, as well as North Strategic for PR and influencer relations, and Wavemaker for paid media.