– Femi Falodun
Director, BlackHouse Media (BHM)
Heineken, the world’s most international beer, is unsurprisingly one of the most well-marketed and communicated brands in the world. This is evident in how both the corporate brand–the brewer, Heineken and the product brand–Heineken beer, have been remarkably consistently cool through 150 years of existence.
Today, the iconic beer is available in 192 countries of the world and remains one of the all-time favourite case studies in modern marketing, management and communications scholarship and practice.
As a life-long student of marketing, I have always been fascinated by Heineken’s approach to brand management and communications. How it uses popular culture–sport, music, fashion, art, film–lifestyle and technology to engage and enrapture young people around the world.
My close-up study of Heineken began when I joined BHM in February of 2014 as a Public Relations and Digital Media Officer. BHM at the time worked for some of Nigeria’s most exciting consumer brands, including Heineken beer and several other beverages under the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc (Heineken’s Nigerian Opco). Since then, BHM has also done some Pan-African work for Heineken.
From the beginning, I found the Heineken brand DNA to be the most impressive in its category: premium, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, international, but still well connected with the local ‘cool’ factor – the cultural zeitgeist. It was, and still is an irresistible proposition for the young, upwardly mobile, professional male African who feels a kindred spirit with other global citizens in any part of the world.
For a decade now, I have been privileged to work on public relations and communication campaigns for the Heineken brand in Nigeria and across Africa. I have also been lucky to sit in hours of training workshops, brainstorming sessions and discussions with Heineken marketing leaders, learning the art of brand management from the masterful marketing minds behind this remarkable brand.
One interesting element that ties together some of my favourite Heineken projects is how they employ the power of Africa’s contemporary youth culture to tell stories that resonate with consumers and create experiences they care about. Through the use of (actually influential) influencers, independent original creators and authentic storytellers, the brand effectively reinforces the Heineken brand story of Premium, Internationality, Conviviality and the Good Times–what Freddie Heineken calls “Gezelligheid”.
I particularly remember the ‘Heineken 192’ project from June to August 2018. The digital-led credential communications campaign showcased Heineken’s unmatched internationality by buttressing its availability, consumption and impact in 192 countries of the world. Working with the brand team in Nigeria, we used the campaign to bring together local tastemakers, influencers, content creators and consumers to interact and experience truly Good Times.
The 192 campaign included a multicultural-themed World Party Series attended by Nigeria’s finest, gamified rewards via a Shazamable Heineken bottle label (brilliant tech innovation), and consumer giveaways, including an all-expense paid holiday to Europe. The highly engaging #192Countries conversations delivered a social media audience reach of over 50 million, mostly driven by original consumer-generated multimedia content, blogger reportage and influencer activities. It was a truly smart use of paid, earned and shared media.
In 2022, BHM managed the Heineken UEFA Champions League (UCL) Trophy tour PR across Africa with major stops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Working with the legendary Dutch UCL winner, Clarence Seedorf alongside African football legends, Jay Jay Okocha and Emmanuel Amokachi, the trophy tour helped Heineken to deepen its connection with millions of football-crazy African fans who also drink beer.
And we all know that beer and football are like the traditional CB partnership of ‘5 and 6’ (football fans will get it). From a brand communications perspective, the campaign’s story was told through the images, voices and pens of respected sport influencers, journalists and bloggers, generating high-quality coverage on over 250 media platforms globally, and reaching an estimated 140 million audience.
A third BHM project that greatly captures Heineken’s brilliant use of African youth culture and lifestyle influencers is the 150 years anniversary campaign from 2023. On this project, Africa’s pop culture played a leading role in helping the brand connect with consumers through the delivery of Good Times and memorable live experiences. BHM contributed to the crafting of a Pan African narrative that was relevant to local audiences in 8 different countries, while still aligning with Heineken’s global message for its 150th anniversary celebrations.
The campaign journey included the identification, recruitment, briefing and coordination of 19 independent creators and opinion shapers across 8 countries, and the storytelling spotlighting the 3-day global music event, Hey Neighbour Festival in South Africa, which served as the crowning point. Over 65,000 Africans from diverse nationalities gathered at the festival to celebrate Good Times, an experience powered by Heineken and fueled by music from some of the world’s biggest stars like Grammy winners, Kendrick Lamar and Tyla, as well as H.E.R, Swedish House Mafia, the Chainsmokers, and more. This campaign reached an audience of over 230 million, generating over 70 pieces of earned media coverage, plus over 80k positive reactions from audiences around the continent. It further solidifies Heineken’s position as the world’s most international premium beer in Africa.
At 150 years, most brands would be tired and worn out, but one of the secrets to Heineken’s staying power is the disciplined brand and marketing management; the strategic use of consistent creative communications that connect with consumers, and an enduring ability to stay in tune with popular culture globally, and locally, as we’ve seen it repeatedly do in Africa.
The Heineken story offers lots of useful lessons for brand managers and students of marketing and communications who are looking to engage with African consumers and win big in this diverse and complex, but exciting and promising continent.
