Heineken Hijacks Music Events Calling For People to Put away Their Phones
Heineken has hacked music events across the world to deliver a hidden message, encouraging people to minimise phone use on the dance floor and to be more present during memorable moments.
In the campaign, which was ideated by creative agency LePub with global comms handled by The Romans, Heineken teamed up with Silver Live Out Festival in Mexico and Amsterdam Dance Event in the Netherlands to install innovative technology that delivered the message via infrared lighting.
The message was invisible to the naked eye but revealed when people held up their phones to film the performance and encouraged attendees to keep the moment in their memory, not on their phone. They could also download the 'Boring Mode' app, designed by Heineken to make their smartphone less distracting. The goal was to prompt fans to put their devices away and fully experience the moment.
The hidden message worked leveraging the properties of infrared light, the system created an invisible-to-the-eye display, visible only when viewed through the phone’s camera and displayed in a seamless way, without the need to download external apps or web apps.
To help people facilitate good times with friends IRL, Heineken has launched The Boring Mode - an app that will turn any smartphone boring, blocking other apps, notifications and even the camera for a set period of time.
Heineken wants people to dial down technology so they can dial up their nights out. With The Boring Mode, people will be able to go back to basics - pixelating their cameras, blocking apps, and keeping the constant dings, buzzes and notifications at bay.
The launch follows a growing trend of performing artists and DJs asking fans to be more present in the moment across tours, festivals and club nights this summer.
Scottish DJ and producer Barry Can’t Swim who played the Heineken x ADE opening event said, “I’m all in favour of The Boring Phone and Boring Mode, Heineken have created. When I heard about the new ‘anti-smart’ phone concept, it was something that struck a chord with me. With live music, of course you are more present and immersed if you are giving it your full attention, rather than taking a video on your phone. And without phones, the energy is definitely different – people are more connected on the dancefloor."
But it's not just artists that are craving digital disconnection, in recent years there has been a growing trend of consumers, particularly Gen Z’s and Millennials, wanting to tune out from their phones so they can tune in to what is happening right in front of them.
Over a third (35%) of gen z and millennial smartphone users across the UK, US and the Netherlands said they check their phones more often than they should when socialising and six in ten (60%) think they’d enjoy music events more if they could disconnect from their device.
Two fifths (41%) said they find it frustrating to see a crowd of phones in the air when out at a gig or concert. More than half (55%) admitted that they had prioritised capturing a video of a performance rather than being present in the moment, even though 13% also said they rarely watch back the videos they capture anyway.
The Boring Mode is being launched in response to the incredible demand for The Boring Phone - a collaboration between Heineken and Boston streetwear curators, Bodega. When the limited-edition Y2K inspired flip phone (designed to do absolutely nothing but message and call) was launched earlier this year, more than 70,000 people tried to get their hands on one.
Heineken has also made the hidden infrared technology used publicly available for any artist to be able to download and implement at their live shows.
Nabil Nasser, global head of Heineken comments, ''Today it feels like tech always comes first, leaving the enjoyment of real life in second place. While technology grants us endless conveniences, it also comes at the cost of not being able to stop and embrace what’s happening around us. At Heineken, we want to foster moments of genuine connection to enable a more rewarding social life. When we launched The Boring Phone earlier this year, demand was huge but only a limited number were made. So, we hope the launch of The Boring Mode helps even more people take a step back from taking photos for posting on social media, and instead look around to enjoy what’s right in front of them. After all, there is more to your social life, when there is less on your phone.”
Bruno Bertelli, global CEO LePub and CCO Publicis Worldwide added, “The essence of this tech-driven initiative is to redefine the concert experience, creating spaces with no distractions where people can authentically live the moment and immerse themselves in the magic of live music. By leveraging creativity and innovation, such as Heineken’s collaboration with Silver Live Out and ADE, we transformed phones into tools for deeper connections. Celebrating the power of music, the Boring Mode app aims to bring people together in meaningful ways and give socialising the quality it really deserves."
The Boring Mode is available to download, for free, on iOS and Android now.
