Why Heineken Is Celebrating the Forgotten Beers this International Beer Day
Since its early days, Heineken is a brand that’s been all about selling good times. Of late though, good times have been harder to come by. Between cost of living pressures, work demands, and so much tempting tech, there’s a lot getting in the way of IRL socialisation (you can read more about how changing social habits are shaping the drinks sector here).
That’s why this International Beer Day (August 2nd), Heineken is urging us all to get stuck in. Its new campaign focuses on half-drunk pints of beer that have been abandoned as people connect and celebrate all around them. After all, when we ask our besties if they want to grab a beer, what we’re really saying is that we want to spend time together. The concept was devised by Heineken’s global agency partner, Le Pub.
The campaign’s hero film, directed by Alex Feil and produced by tempomedia, puts the abandoned bevvies front and centre, to the plaintive piano of Debussy’s ‘Claire de Lune’. The backgrounds are packed with storytelling as birthday parties, seaside dates, bar hookups and football matches unfold around them. It’s part of a wider social media strategy involving micro-influencers, meme creators and social comedians who will carry the message forward.
It’s not the first time that Heineken has tackled what it calls the ‘enemies of socialisation’. Earlier this year it launched ‘The Boring Phone’, introducing gen z to the socially liberating effect of a non-smart phone, and in 2022 it invented ‘The Closer’, a bottle opener that automatically shuts down all your work apps when you crack open a bottle of Heineken.
Here, Nabil Nasser, the Global Head of Heineken and Amstel Brands, talks about this cleverly counterintuitive campaign.
LBB> It certainly feels unexpected to celebrate International Beer Day with an ad full of unfinished, abandoned beers. What was the catalyst for this idea?
Nabil> For Heineken, creating moments of togetherness has always been one of our biggest missions; after all, Freddy Heineken himself said: “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid” (a famous Dutch phrase meaning ‘the feeling of good times’).
That’s why this International Beer Day, in typical tongue-in-cheek Heineken fashion, we’re telling people we don’t mind if you forget about the beer – quite literally, as shown in the ad – and instead focus on the good times together.
LBB> The campaign comes at a time when we're facing a loneliness crisis and pressures affecting our social lives (from work pressure to cost of living) - why was that something you wanted to address? What sort of conversations have you been having internally and with your creative partners around this?
Nabil> Heineken exists to spark human connections around the world and generate good times over a beer. Because of this, internally we feel a responsibility to tackle any blockers to these moments of togetherness – whether that be work pressures or the technology taking over our lives.
We have a history of coming up with solutions with our creative partners, but for International Beer Day, we felt the most impactful message would be forgetting about the beer and focusing on the good times – the last thing you’d expect to hear from a brewer on a day dedicated to beer.
LBB> This isn't the first time Heineken has tackled the 'enemies of socialisation' - earlier in the year there was ‘The Boring Phone', there's 'The Closer' and the brand was very active during covid-19, which was a massive 'enemy of socialisation'! What sort of response are you seeing from the public to these messages?
Nabil> Our campaigns focusing on the power of socialisation, and calling out the blockers to this, are always greatly received by the public, as it is something we can all relate to.
In most places across the world, “want to grab a beer?” is recognised as a ‘catch all phrase’ for getting together, so Heineken® is well placed to help the people do this without any of the blockers the modern world brings us.
LBB> As our social lives evolve, how is Heineken adapting and finding new occasions to help us celebrate the good times?
Nabil> The modern world is evolving at an astonishing pace, and socialising is just another element of our lives that is ever-changing. The past couple of years in particular have seen a huge array of unforeseen social moments – virtual catch-ups, who would have thought it!
As our world changes around us, we’re constantly looking out for ways to bring people together in a fun and witty way, keeping connection and togetherness central to our social lives.
LBB> Even though these pressures on our social lives feel like a new phenomenon, Heineken's commitment to 'good times' goes back to its roots and founder Freddy Heineken... how helpful has it been to have this heritage to draw from?
Nabil> Since our humble origins as a 19th century local brewer in Amsterdam, we’ve now celebrated over 150 years of good times, becoming the world’s most distributed beer in over 190 countries. This journey has seen us make many meaningful local connections, allowing us to feel like a “glocal” beer to many; a heritage we’re incredibly proud of.
LBB> The hero film is very still and simple on the surface, but rich with storytelling details. Why did this approach work, and what do you think the team and director Alex Feil brought to it?
Nabil> Thank you – we are pleased with it! This simple approach with underlying detail mirrors the message we are trying to convey.
Heineken has always championed social life and quality socialising. For International Beer Day, we wanted to share a common behaviour we all experience: the power of human connections, and the strength of having good times that are stronger than anything else, even the beer. The campaign is an emotional ballad dedicated to International Beer Day, a celebration that brings the world together - but with a twist.
LBB> Can you tell me about the social media strategy around this campaign - what sort of influencers have you been working with and what sort of content are they creating? What audiences in particular are you looking to reach?
Nabil> We’ve partnered with some hilarious creators to create memes and content to help amplify the campaign message that ‘the best part of having a beer isn’t the beer’, bringing it to life in a relatable way for our audiences.
We have also partnered with a range of brilliant micro influencers who are beer fanatics like us. Why? It’s equally as surprising to see a beer influencer tell you to forget about the beer as it is to see Heineken do it.
LBB> How will the team at Heineken be celebrating International Beer Day?
Nabil> We will, of course, be cheers-ing International Beer Day together as a team over a Heineken Original, Silver or 0.0 – and there will be no bad blood if one or two are forgotten about across HEINEKEN HQ in the name of good times!
