Thailand – In a celebration of putting ice on beer amongst beer-drinkers in Thailand and Laos–which defies traditional beer drinking conventions–Heineken has teamed up with Wunderman Thompson Thailand to launch ‘Heineken® Star Ice’, a beer ice product that works well for those who enjoy their beer very chilled.

The creation of Heineken® Star Ice involved a meticulous freeze process designed to tackle the challenge of beer’s distinct freezing point, which differs from that of water. To achieve the perfect balance between chill and flavor, the great art of blast freezing was used, a technique that immediately freezes the ice at -35 degree Celsius to ensure that the beer is transformed into ice without compromising its premium taste in a world-renowned Heineken® star shape.

Through this process, ordinary ice is elevated to extraordinary levels. The resulting ‘Heineken® Star Ice’ cubes boast an unprecedented chilling power, more colder than regular ice. As a result, each Heineken beer is infused with an invigorating coolness that perfectly complements the vibrant cultures of Thailand and Laos.

Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson, said, “We take pride in fusing global brand excellence with the beauty of local traditions. The creation of Heineken® Star Ice was a passionate journey that embraced the ‘Beer with Ice’ culture, reimagining tradition with an innovative freeze. Beyond the refreshing chill, this ice represents a celebration of unity and the shared moments that bring us all together. Here’s to Heineken Star Ice – a truly cool and cultural experience.”

Meanwhile, Fahmi Rajendra, marketing director at Heineken® Laos, commented, “Heineken® is turning 150 years; no such any other perfect time talking on our heritage and honour our history while spreading the spirit of good times and embracing the gezelligheid lifestyle that Heineken® represents.”

He added, “And no such any other perfect opportunity driving connection with consumers by celebrating light-hearted ways of how they enjoy good times with Heineken® all around the world whilst unintentionally adapting the brand and making it their own. With bold creativity, meaningfulness and open-mindedness Heineken® Star Ice was then brought to life.” Inviting our local consumers in Laos to have good times with Heineken®; the beer that is part of their world; while still enjoying their local beer drinking culture, ultimately.”

Singapore – International brewer Heineken has announced the setting up of its global innovation hub in Singapore today. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the hub is part of the brewer’s global network of five innovation hubs and will enhance collaboration across global, regional and market levels to deliver global innovations that fulfil unmet and emerging consumer needs.

The hub will also contribute to Heineken’s plan to deliver disruptive and scalable product innovations and double Heineken’s innovation rate by 2025. Its goal is to shape the future of beer and beyond to win the hearts of consumers.

Tapping into breweries and pilot plants across operating companies in APAC and research partners in Singapore, the innovation hub team will drive Heineken’s APAC innovation strategy and lead product development projects. 

Collaborating with Singapore’s ecosystem of flavour houses, R&D labs, and institutes of higher learning will help generate IP, build capabilities, and facilitate knowledge transfer.

Jacco van der Linden, regional president for APAC at Heineken, said, “Our APAC innovation hub will allow us to aggregate clusters of consumer data across the region, distil key insights, and translate this into opportunities for innovation. This is a game-changer for us, and we will work with our partners to create new and exciting experiences for consumers like Heineken Silver and the recently launched Tiger Soju Infused Lager. We also thank EDB for their support and look forward to working with them as we accelerate our innovation efforts.”

Meanwhile, Fong Pin Fen, vice president and head of consumer at EDB, commented, “Singapore welcomes Heineken’s decision to tap on our food and beverage innovation capabilities with its APAC innovation hub setup here. Heineken’s new set-up is now part of a vibrant innovation ecosystem of globally leading brands engaging in new product development from Singapore.”

She added, “It will create exciting job opportunities for our talent and collaboration opportunities for our research institutes and startup community. We look forward to the new products being developed out of the APAC Innovation Hub to cater to global markets from Singapore.”

Sydney – As global beer brewing company Heineken celebrated its 150th birthday around the world, Heineken Australia marked the milestone by launching the ‘Celebrate Whatever You Call Us’ campaign, a local campaign that encouraged Aussies to creatively make up unofficial nicknames to label Heineken beer. 

The ad, created by Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, encourages Australians to invite their friends over for a Heineken and joke around about their favourite beer nicknames. The potential for their beer name to feature in Heineken’s national campaign, on digital billboards, or on beer taps in chosen hospitality establishments around the nation serves as the main motivation for engagement.

Heineken and Saatchi & Saatchi also called on Daniel Ricciardo, Australia’s very own eight-time F1 Grand Prix winner and racing driver, to assist in consumer interaction and inspire Aussies to get creative. Ricciardo parodies several beer nicknames by using a pun involving beer and recognizable places or people, such as Mt. Frothiuszko, Steve Brewscemi, and even his own nickname, Daniel Beerciardo.

Speaking about the campaign, Dino Bozzone, country manager at Heineken Australia, said, “Australians have such an enthusiastic passion for nicknaming everything, and yet, despite Heineken being one of the nation’s most popular beers to drink, we realised Aussies don’t really have an existing nickname for our brand. Rather than trying to force this, our local campaign centres around inserting Heineken into the existing category vernacular of beer nicknames.”

“It also insinuates that Heineken isn’t precious as a brand, as we’re open-minded about the way our consumers reference us, because this ultimately doesn’t matter. All that does is Aussies continue to celebrate with us down under! That’s a legacy Heineken wants to continue championing for the next 150 years, not just here in Australia, but in the remaining 191 countries where Heineken is sold around the world. We’re excited for Aussies to unleash their imagination and see what quirky, fun and original beer nicknames they can brew up,” he added. 

Singapore – Whether navigating a hybrid, virtual, or purely physical work set-up, attaining work-life balance will always be a challenge for employees. This is why beer brand Heineken, which can be considered a mainstay in workers’ happy hours, has launched a simple but true-to-point ad about the struggle of employees to be ‘present’ in their social lives. 

In collaboration with advertising agency Le Pub APAC, the beer brand’s 48-second clip titled ‘The Ghosted Bar’ shows a group of friends having a fun time at a bar. Shortly after, paranormal activities take place where glasses of beer move on their own as well as a chair – with no person on it – sliding from one place to another. Towards the end, it is revealed that the movements are indeed manoeuvres of their friend who is currently stuck at the office but is still present in spirit – as a ghost – amongst them. 

And as if the brief narrative couldn’t get more exciting, it is graced by Heineken ambassador, Korean actor Park Hyung Sik. In the end, the beer brand reminds to don’t ghost your friends and to work responsibly.

Prior to releasing the ad, Park Hyung Sik shared an Instagram video of the said spooky encounters which served as a teaser for the said campaign. It seemed to have piqued fans’ curiosity with it garnering more than 4 million views in 24 hours.

Bram Westenbrink, global head at Heineken Brand, said that Heineken has always encouraged socialisation and healthy human connections where workers have a balanced social and leisure time.

“We’re thrilled to bring this platform to Singapore and Malaysia as a reminder to leave your duties on time and not let your social life fall behind,” Westenbrink added.

Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of Le Pub, added, “Heineken’s Ghosted Bar campaign reminds us to leave the office after an honest day at work to live your social life at its fullest. This is what #WorkResponsibly is all about.”

Park Hyung Sik also expressed his thoughts, saying that employees must enjoy social life and not let work impede their leisure time.

“Through this meaningful project by Heineken, we want to encourage employees to start working responsibly,” said the Korean actor.

‘The Ghosted Bar’ is, in fact, partially attributed to findings by a YouGov study which revealed that almost half of the employees in Singapore and Malaysia are guilty of ‘ghosting’ their friends. 

This latest campaign by the brand is the third ad released under its #WorkResponsibly campaign. It follows the launch of The Closer and The Office Cleaners which were both unveiled in 2022.

Singapore – Just months after the release of its ‘A Bolder Tomorrow’ campaign, Tiger Beer has launched a new campaign called ‘The Brewery, Uncaged’, which dramatises the beer’s brewing process centred around a retro-modernist theme.

The campaign, once again conceptualised by Publicis Groupe’s Le Pub, doubles down on the 80s nostalgia that is trending again amongst Gen Z. Bold, simple, sometimes over-the-top but also somewhat familiar, said campaign is steeped in cues from that iconic decade but with a modern layer to the styling and music.

Tiger Beer has also reinvented and modernised the classic ‘Eye of the Tiger’ track with a rap from Mega Ran, a globally-renowned DJ, rapper, and producer. Famous for fusing hip hop and gaming and for his endearing ‘nerdcore’ lyrics, Mega Ran’s songs have debuted on the Billboard Top 200.

For Sean O’Donnell, global brand director at Tiger Beer, the campaign perfectly dramatises the brand’s attitude towards perfecting the brew in the boldest possible way, with a reinvented soundtrack to match with it.

“Explaining what makes a great beer can be a generic and boring story that’s not very exciting for most consumers. But there is boldness rooted in Tiger Beer’s attitude – since 1932, we’ve been unstoppably bold, challenging the odds as a beer that was not supposed to exist in the tropics and is now a winner of global awards, conquering 60 markets and counting,” O’Donell said.

Meanwhile, Cyril Louis, executive creative director at LePub, commented, “From the first shot, it’s clear this is not a typical beer commercial; it’s all designed to entertain a new generation. A mix of styles takes elements of the past mixed with today’s culture to create something unique and entertaining while showcasing the Tiger brewing process, quality ingredients, and award winning credentials.” 

The campaign is part of the latest 360-degree credentials campaign from Tiger Beer, which will run in all Tiger markets globally across TV, print, digital and online channels. 

Singapore – As part of its campaign to celebrate music versatility, HEINEKEN has officially kicked off its ‘Refresh Your Music, Refresh Your Nights’ campaign in Asia with two concerts done in Malaysia and Vietnam. 

Launched Asia-wide, the campaign was developed by Le Pub, BBH Singapore, Leo Burnett Vietnam and Leo Burnett Malaysia, while Iris Singapore led the regional PR and influencer strategy.

Both concerts featured the world-famous electropop duo, The Chainsmokers, as well as local artists from both countries. Over 85,000 music fans attended the concerts in support of the featured artists.

The Malaysia leg of the concert was held on December 9 with homegrown artists Yunohoo and NYK, while the Vietnam stop was held the day after, featuring artists Thu Minh and Karik.

Prior to the concert series, HEINEKEN encouraged fans to vote for their favourite renditions of The Chainsmokers’ hit songs created by the local artists.

According to Rajeev Sathyesh, HEINEKEN’s brand director for APAC, the campaign was targeted at echoing HEINEKEN’s belief that life tastes better with an open mind, regardless of social situations or music preferences. 

“The fans’ incredible energy and willingness to break out of their music bubbles affirmed our belief that music does transcend all boundaries,” he added.

Heineken has also previously released a global campaign to promote work balance while enjoying a cold bottle of beer.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Popular beer brand Guinness in Malaysia has recently concluded its recent brand activation called ‘House of Guinness’ where it invited customer to a brand-oriented immersive experience related to the process and story of the Guinness beer. The campaign was first launched in July this year.

The first leg of the activation was ‘The Widget is the Key’, where customers had to grab the right widget in a blower room. This is where the nitrogen widget – a white plastic ball filled with nitrogen gas inside each Guinness Draught in a Can – came to play.

The second part was ‘Activate the Widget’ – a highly Instagrammable mission – evoking the magic of their product with a light show representing the widgets and nitrogen. Lastly, the ‘Release the Nitrogen’ mission saw fans stepping into a giant Guinness Draught in a Can. Within the can, they had to release the nitrogen to experience the iconic surge and settle that gives Guinness its cold, creamy head.

The one-of-a-kind event introduced Guinness Draught in a Can into the Malaysian market, in a fully immersive and experiential way. Lovers of the brew got to discover the magical innovation behind the latest entrant of the Heineken Malaysia Berhad portfolio, all the while taking their usual drinking experience to the next level.

In the span of eight weeks, the House of Guinness saw a total of 14,580 visitors, including members of the media, influencers, and lovers of Guinness coming together to celebrate and welcome the brew into the Malaysian market. Their attendance has set Guinness Malaysia on fire across various social media platforms, with a total of 6.6 million reach. The campaign’s PR efforts also garnered earned media coverage with a score of 97% on the Media Quality Index (MQI), and 77 million PR impressions to date.

Shaun Lim, marketing manager at Guinness Malaysia, said, “We invited Guinness lovers as well as new drinkers to immerse themselves in the House of Guinness with its unique experiences. Through this call to adventure, fans learned about Guinness Draught in a Can in a playful way, and visually got a taste of why this product is so innovative. The experience was curated to resonate with the passion points of Millennials and Gen-Z of legal drinking age. The amazing response and turnout are a testament to the brand’s ambition.”

The immersive experience was done in collaboration with Sambal Lab, who was the key driver for the concept, strategy, design and build, creatives, and implementation of the House of Guinness, the brand was able to introduce Guinness Draught in a Can to the Malaysian market in a disruptive way.

New York, USA – In a bid to promote work balance while enjoying a cold bottle of beer when winding down, beer brand Heineken has launched a global campaign dedicated to the launch of ‘The Close’, a bottle opener that is programmed to shut down all work applications when used.

The new product is then dramatised in this satirical ad, where it depicts several workers caught up in their work and then wanting to drink a bottle of beer, shutting down their workspaces, including their electronics and other equipment. The ad is the antidote to the increasing demands of the always-on work culture, and ‘The Closer bottle’ opener itself is a satirical symbol for the power every worker has to close down at the end of the day.

The campaign, alongside the product launch, was conceptualised by Publicis Italy/Le Pub.

Bram Westenbrink, global head of Heineken® Brand at Heineken, said, “As a brand, we have always stood for creating moments of shared connections with others. With the once-rigid boundaries between work and personal time rapidly deteriorating following the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to spark a much-needed conversation about the importance of resisting the societal pressures to be in a constant state of busy work and encourage workers around the world to reprioritize social and leisure time with the people who matter most.”

Meanwhile, Bruno Bertelli, global chief creative officer at Publicis Worldwide, commented, “As people continue to feel like they have to work all the time, they’re forgetting that disconnecting is even an option. That’s why we created The Closer. It’s not just technology; it’s a social provocation to help people see that the pressure to work all the time is getting a little ridiculous and we all have the power to log off and go hang out with our friends again.”

This is the first campaign from Heineken that launches ‘For a Fresher World’, a new creative expression that aims to refresh the world by showing life tastes better with an open mind. With this new approach, campaigns will strive to challenge the obvious, reconsider stereotypes and oppose tired cliches.

Singapore – Amid the beverage market dominated by giant brands, the campaign by Heineken’s latest energy drink Solar Energy aims to portray itself to be a cheeky yet relatable brand by showing off everyday moments any of us could use an energy boost.

Conceptualized with creative agency GOVT Singapore, the campaign showcases everyday moments folks could use help of additional energy, such as keeping in focus in an architectural mockup, or how one needs an energy boost on a Monday work.

Sharing more on the energy drink’s launch, Johnny Tan, country manager at Heineken Asia Pacific Beverages, said that with increasing demands of consumers in the functional beverage category, they are proud that the launch of Solar Power in Singapore is Heineken’s first step in meeting these needs.

“Most of us need an energy boost besides coffee, isotonic beverages and regular energy drinks. Solar Power is an alternative that allows the everyday person to get a boost while knowing that they’re only putting good energy into their bodies,” Tan said.

Meanwhile, Kevin Joseph, associate creative director at GOVT Singapore, commented, “We started off by listing down daily drainers, moments all of us have experienced, then figured out ways to dramatize them in outlandish and irreverent ways. The result was a series of content that people can watch, have a chuckle at and say ‘Yea, I’ve been there before’. And after that, hopefully reach for a can of Solar Power.”

Together with agency partners AKA Asia spearheading media and influencer relations, with dentsu Singapore leading media planning and buying, the campaign launched on 15 Nov with a series of posters, films, digital banners, point of sale materials (POSMs).

Singapore – Beer brand Heineken in Singapore has launched a special campaign that lets you share your dream holiday and actually gives you a chance to win it and experience it–the closest to reality.

Done in partnership with travel and leisure booking platform Klook, the ‘Heineken Festive Cheers’ campaign involves a brief quiz to match you to your dream holiday. Heineken lets you be carefree with how you envision your dream vacation–and then matches you with something close within the bounds of the beauty of Singapore.

Prompts include where you wish to go, if whether you’d like to escape or explore the city, and what your sighted R & R involves such as a festive party or a scrumptious spread. 

At the heart of the campaign is a special microsite. From 26 November to 24 December 2021, consumers can head to the ‘Heineken Festive Cheers’ site to wing the quiz and be matched to any of the campaign’s prepared holiday packages in Singapore. In the end, participants will be given an exclusive Klook Promo Code for a chance to win it.

With the focus on local tourism, Gerald Yeo, the marketing director of Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, Heineken’s parent company, said celebrating the holidays doesn’t need necessarily mean traveling somewhere new and that it’s about making time to meet family and friends.

“We look forward to Heineken being at the heart of many celebrations right here in Singapore this season, giving us even more reasons to celebrate with those who matter,” said Yeo. 

Meanwhile, Sarah Wan, Klook’s general manager for Singapore, commented, “Klook is delighted to partner with Heineken to spread festive cheer and joy this year-end. We have made it our mission to uncover hidden gems, feature local merchants, and to pioneer unique experiences here in Singapore. We are confident that this campaign will help bring more awareness to local merchants and shed light on how much Singapore has to offer.” 

Some of the leisure packages that can be won include a staycation for two at Lloyd’s Inn, a staycation at KēSa House, The Unlimited Collection by Oakwood for two, and a guided hike around Keppel by X-Trekkers, among many others. 

Of course, Heineken will be with celebrators at every step of the way. With each leisure package comes a Heineken Blade and a compact 8-liter countertop draught set-up to make sure winners are able to enjoy their Heineken beer as they revel in the holidays. 

In addition to winning experiences, fans could walk away with special Heineken packages such as a six-pack of Heineken or a six-month supply of Heineken.