Background

Heineken was seen as an ‘older’ beer that was part of formal, stuffy drinking occasions in Asia. This led to Gen-Z feeling disconnected from the brand, perceiving it to lack relevance, be predictable, distant and elitist. With the introduction of a new brew targeted to Gen-Z, the aim of the Heineken Silver launch campaign was to drive desirability, brand relevance and sales amongst this target group and reverse the current brand decline. At the same time, Heineken Silver was launching in several dark markets where beer advertising is banned, necessitating a whole new inventive and innovative way to reach the target audience.

Idea

In a bold stunt that’s the first of its kind, Heineken put beer not in ads, but in sneakers. Produced in a limited edition run of 32, Heinekicks were handcrafted by The Shoe Surgeon, the world’s best shoe customiser and a key influencer in the sneaker world with 1.1m followers. The sneakers came in the iconic brand colours of green, red, and silver. A secret compartment hid a brushed metal bottle opener, and for the real kicker, Heineken Silver was surgically injected into its clear bubble soles, giving its wearer the sensation of walking on beer.

Referencing other hype drops, Heinekicks was teased via a social post before launching at relevant locations that Gen-Z would frequent such as exclusive sneaker stores, underground fashion events and launch parties, on hype fashion publications and on their favourite influencers’ feeds via unboxing videos, as well as driving sales through sneaker raffle promotions.

Execution

Even though the brand had to contend with dark market restrictions, Heinekicks was still launched with a bang. In the style of hype drops, Heinekicks was first teased via social media on Heineken owned channels, creating immediate buzz. All 32 pairs were released in limited edition drops across Asia Pacific, and creatively utilised media channels that

targeted Gen-Z via experiential displays and store window takeovers at hype sneaker stores, showcases at underground fashion events and even being projected on skyscrapers in Asia-Pacific at launch parties. It drove footfall from our key audience for beer sampling moments, connecting them to the refreshed tonality of the brand.

In retail environments, Heinekicks were also used in in-store promotions to drive sales of the new Heineken Silver beer. In addition, Heinekicks were also promoted on The Shoe Surgeon media channels, and on Gen-Z’s favourite influencer feeds via unboxing videos, enhancing interaction with the brand.

Outcome

90% volume sales increase in APAC, marking the most successful launch in the brand’s history.

400 mentions across trackable online news in Asia Pacific

230k engagement on Heinekicks content along with endless organic features on TikTok

99% neutral-to-positive sentiment 2.7 billion impressions
1.4 million earned media

In terms of brand perception, the campaign also had a positive spillover effect on overall Heineken’s brand scores amongst the target audience, with a significant growth in scores in brand power (+3 points), brand meaningfulness (+11 points), and brand difference (+5 points) across launch markets in Asia Pacific.

The sneakers were also recognised as a significant cultural and fashion moment, having appeared on Sneakerfreaker, featured multiple times on Hypebeast, Vogue, and GQ, as well as being named dezeen’s top 10 fashion design projects of 2022.