Work
Heineken® 0.0%
The Ask
HEINEKEN Ireland had a big ambition in 2018: to shape the moderation category by offering Heineken® 0.0%, a great tasting, non-alcoholic lager, brewed by beer lovers for beer lovers.
Our role was to develop an exciting and impactful launch programme to support this new brand. We needed to consider both internal and external audiences, and, ultimately, drive mass awareness. We needed to get Heineken® 0.0% into the right hands, in the right places, at the right time, by partnering and collaborating with key media, influencers and platforms to generate news, content and buzz for this great-tasting, alcohol-free offering.
The Approach
We wanted to land the number one message: Heineken® 0.0% tastes great! We also needed to position Heineken® 0.0% as a cool, credible alternative to soft drinks and other AFBs. Additionally, by building tailored comms, we wanted to create a culture shift that transforms traditional non-beer moments into non-alcoholic beer moments.
We had a lot of confidence in how Heineken® 0.0% tastes, so with this campaign we let the product do the talking. Tasting the new product for the first time was a key moment. We wanted to dramatise that ‘first taste moment’ for our most influential writers and bloggers; so we invited 10 key journalists, and influential guests, to Amsterdam the home of Heineken® 0.0%.
An innovative product like this deserves an innovative approach to PR. When it comes to press packs, media are sick of the same old stuff. In a sea of ‘samey’ press packs, which one stands out? Which one gets newsrooms talking? Which one will media tell their friends and family about?
To launch Heineken® 0.0% to media, we reinvented the humble press pack by creating the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Press Pack. Why do a traditional press pack when we can pre-load a Google Home Mini ‘Assistant’ and let technology tell the Heineken® 0.0% launch story for us?
With our AI press pack, media asked The Google Assistant key (prompted) questions about the product and its great taste – and Google Assistant told them key product information: the lager has 69 calories per 33cl bottle, 0.0% ABV and a balanced taste with fruity notes and soft malty body. An innovative and fun way to receive breaking brand news!
The Output
The articles written and real-time social media posts they shared, conveyed a selection of our key messages around the health trend culture shift, new beer occasions and permission messaging.
Our AI press pack complements the brand’s forward-thinking spirit and cut through the noise to engage media in a way like never before. This combination of tailored and bespoke comms meant that we absolutely smashed our media coverage targets, overachieving by more than 50%!
On social media, we reworked global assets in an array of formats such as Facebook pills, stacked videos, boomerangs and pre-rolls for YouTube and we developed a suite of fresh assets specifically for the Irish audience.
The Outcome
The launch of 0.0% has been an incredible success story for HEINEKEN Ireland.
An awareness target of 60% was smashed with a result of 74%, the trial target of 20% also ended up at a whopping 30%. The new brand quadrupled its volume ambition, a feat which cannot be ignored considering the product experienced unprecedented popularity within weeks of launch.
Six out of every ten customers drinking 0.0% are ‘new’ to Heineken® meaning the launch has reached a whole new audience for the Heineken® brand. It is now the No. 1 Non Alcoholic beer brand in both the on and off trade. Sentiment was universally positive, across all channels, with consumers praising the taste of the new product first and foremost every time.
“What an incredible start for the 0.0% story. HEINEKEN Ireland is so proud to be a leader and driver in shaping the moderation category in our country. We’re excited to see how the story expands from here. 2019 will be a great year for this brand as people’s habits change in accordance with new attitudes.” Dervla Arthurs, Brand Manager, Moderation, Innovation & Quality, HEINEKEN Ireland.