Beer shouldn’t be a tough sell, right? Unless you’re tasked with introducing a non-alcoholic beer in a die-hard, beer-loving country, yes Ireland… Heineken is globally renowned for their great-tasting beers in their iconic green branding, and its heritage as a border-spanning brewer. Because were asked to help introduce their new Zero alcohol product to an audience of discerning beer lovers, 25 and older, and overturn some non-alcoholic myths whilst doing it. The question is, how? With one of the world’s biggest road trips and sampling campaign, that’s how.

Solution: This couldn’t be a traditional sampling campaign, it needed to be more. The target audience had to appreciate the message of enjoying beer without any consequence and see Heineken as spearheading the fast-growing alcohol-free movement. The toughest challenge: convincing die-hard sceptics that the famous Heineken flavour hadn’t been lost.

There was no question, the target audience just had to taste it for themselves. So, our integrated experiential campaign hit the road in a distinctive branded camper van, a touring vending machine, and a super team of brand ambassadors.

We travelled across Ireland over several months and specifically targeted audiences in need of a refreshing, non-alcoholic beer at some very targeted events and venues. The A-Team visited shopping malls, corporate offices and sporting events and festivals like the Uefa Champions League final hosted at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, and the Festival of Speed at the Goodwood racetrack.

The promotional team made sure that the green and blue bottles and cans were in hands everywhere. These activations showed that these beers could be safely enjoyed in all kinds of environments, including work and sports.

Creating the connection: This combination of structured location partnerships and guerrilla marketing tactics translated into a massive number of people tasting the new Heineken Zero beer, and the campaign significantly elevated word-of-mouth and brand awareness.

Results:
3 months
750,000 samples shared
2 million engagements

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