Heineken’s Anniversary Campaign and Lessons in Sustainability

BrandsDay

As promoters of the Heineken brand unveil a global campaign to commemorate its 150 years anniversary, Raheem Akingbolu writes on the brand, its staying power and lessons to learn from its resilience and market adaptation

Studies about legendary brands have established that they all share some basic attributes. From Coca Cola to British Airways, Apple to Heineken and other iconic brands, there are unique attributes common to all. The attributes include the following; a distinct personality, strong values, delivering on promises and constantly adapting to new markets.

Looking back in retrospect at Heineken and its chequered history history, it’s obvious that it has constantly maintained a distinct personality. In almost all the markets where it’s sold Heineken is in its own premium class. Like every top brand, it stands out from its competition. Since last week when its handlers rolled out a global campaign to commemorate the brand’s 150 years of existence, it’s easy to spot the fact that Heineken is unique in advertising, packaging and messaging. With top of mind positioning, the brand is the first product that comes to mind when a consumer considers its category in all markets of operation.

Perhaps another strong thing that works for Heineken is market adaptation as seen in almost all the markets. In recent times, markets change at a more rapid rate than ever before but as new products emerge, technology evolves and customers’ tastes change, Heineken and its promoters are always quick to adjust. Like other iconic brands, Heineken constantly changes approach and adapts  to market dynamics but stays faithful to its core values. As positioned by its handlers, Heineken is  more than just a product, it’s daily expressing a superior feeling but with the humble posture to bring happiness to all. With this, Heineken is connected with its customers as the best they can get and with other stakeholders like employees in equal rating.

 Synopsis of the global campaign 

Hinekken or Heniken? It is amazing that some consumers still misspell or pronounce ‘Heineken wrongly despite the fact that it has been around for the last 15 decades with a presence in over 190 countries.

For the brand, that doesn’t matter anymore, in a recent campaign it says “Who cares?“ and what it cares about now is that consumers are having good times which is in line with its brand promise. This ideal is implanted in its new global campaign as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The thematic campaign ‘150 Years of Good Times’ focuses on Heineken’s core message of inclusivity and diversity. The brand beams the spotlight on this in its TV commercial, where consumers from different cultures across the globe come together to celebrate good times and share cherished memories.

According to the company, the campaign is inspired by Freddy Heineken’s famous words “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid”. “Gezelligheid” translated as that feeling of good times, something that has been at the heart of the Heineken marketing strategy and the feeling it wants its consumers to experience.

Beer market growth

According to statista, globally, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage, accounting for approximately 60% of the total value of the alcoholic drink market. 

In Nigeria, the beer market is projected to grow by 11.90% (2023-2027) resulting in a market volume of US$8.33bn in 2027.

However, the leadership of the beer market in the country is keenly contested among Nigerian Breweries, a member of Heineken Group, and other big players like Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and others but Heineken is one of the consumers’ favourite and it is strategically positioned as a premium brand of choice. 

The company’s unique brand-building strategies and innovation have made it an iconic brand. It leverages sports, sponsorship, product placement in movies and celebrity endorsement, and others to engage consumers. For example, one of its global commercials starred Daniel Craig (who plays James Bond in Skyfall in 2012) and his co-stars.

Other celebrities are Conor McGregor, UFC fighter and MMA champion; Landon Donovan, U.S. soccer; and others. In Nigeria, it has Jay Okocha as a brand ambassador and among others.

It also throws its weight behind fashion events like Lagos Fashion Week (LagosFW), supporting the growth of the industry. LagosFW is a fashion platform that drives the Nigerian and ultimately, the African fashion industry; by bringing together buyers, consumers, and the media to view the current collections of designers at a four (4) day event in the fashion capital of Lagos, Nigeria.

Meanwhile, despite COVID-19, changing economies, and unstable economic policies that affected the purchasing power of Nigerian consumers, the company remained resilient even as the Nigerian business unit profit, especially in the last financial year, dropped which most businesses faced a similar fate, it continued to prioritize its consumers, putting them at the centre of its strategy.

Marking a turning point in the brand’s history, Heineken decided to evolve the way it measures success – focusing not just on the volume of beer it sells but also the good times it delivers for its customers in all the countries it has a presence in.

Hans Essaadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said: “As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Heineken brand, we remain committed to strengthening our presence in Nigeria and continuing our journey of fostering positive change. We look forward to building on our legacy and creating more opportunities for growth, collaboration, and shared moments of joy with Nigerians.”

 Tools for Positioning

The company aligns with sports with massive global audiences as a key marketing strategy, such as the UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup, and Formula 1.

Recently in Nigeria, it hosted the Heineken UEFA Champions League (UCL) Viewing Experience, the event marks the climax of the football season and fans were treated to an unforgettable night filled with football, music, and excitement including enjoying cool Heineken.

Asides from the experience, it also brings the UEFA Champions’ trophy to the country and embarks on a tour with notable international and Nigerian sports personalities and music stars. Some of the international football stars who have embarked on the tour with the brand are Spanish and Real Madrid legend Carles Puyol and football legend Clarence Seedorf. Nigerian legends, Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, and others have also been a part of the tour including music star, Davido. This stride many industry watchers said is inspiring the youth to strive for greatness while the brand is cementing its relationship with consumers.  

On a fun side, a novelty match was held last year as part of the tour and Davido was handed the captain’s band, which led Team Nigeria to face UEFA Ambassador Clarence Seedorf’s lead squad to play in the game, which took place in Lagos. 

On another note, Heineken is also the official global sponsor of the F1 race; in Nigeria, it recently hosted an exhilarating Monaco Grand Prix Watch Party in Lagos. It partnered with DStv, the official broadcast sponsor of F1 races in the country to host the event. 

“Bringing the Monaco experience to Lagos was an absolute thrill for us as we were able to create opportunities for fans to immerse themselves in the excitement and thrill of Formula 1 whilst celebrating the spirit of passion, and performance. “ Sampson Oloche, Portfolio Manager, Premium Brands, NB Plc, said at the event.

Anniversary domestication

To commemorate its anniversary, at a press conference recently, Nigerian Breweries said it would host events in key cities across the country with the aim to bring consumers together for a memorable experience of music and entertainment. It also disclosed that it would launch a reward scheme to say thank you for consumers’ loyalty to the brand. 

Essaadi explained that “To express our gratitude to our loyal fans and consumers in Nigeria, we will be unveiling a series of anniversary celebrations, kicking off this July 2023. These events will be a demonstration of our commitment to spreading the spirit of good times and embracing the gezelligheid lifestyle that Heineken represents!”

In the same vein, “Heineken’s 150th-anniversary celebration celebrates the fact that Heineken is called in different ways by different people,” remarked the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sade Morgan stated. “When you bring all that together, and all the different views, you find that they have a good time together. We bring people together, we make human connections, we have joy and have great and unforgettable good times.”

Sampson Oloche, Portfolio Manager – Premium, Sessionable& 0.0 Lager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said, “In celebration of our 150th anniversary and our deep ties to Nigeria, we have exciting plans specifically designed for our Nigerian consumers.

“We will be organising events in key cities across the country, where our valued consumers can come together and experience the true essence of gezelligheid. These celebrations will showcase the vibrancy of Nigerian culture, featuring live music, entertainment, and unforgettable moments that capture the spirit of Heineken.

“But that’s not all. We are also planning massive rewards for our loyal consumers, media partners, distributors, and retailers who have been instrumental in our journey. We recognize and appreciate their unwavering support, and we want to celebrate them by offering exclusive experiences, exciting prizes, and special recognition for their contribution to our success.”

Of course, good times have changed over the 150 years of Heineken’s existence, and the brand promises to continue to evolve to ensure that consumers have good times. Recognising this and as part of the anniversary celebration, the Heineken brand has worked with academics to better understand the ingredients that are needed to deliver that feeling of “good times” in the modern day; a surprisingly under-studied human need.