Like most, CoVid had a dramatic impact on Heineken sales. Beer relies on two distribution channels: off-site (markets, bodegas, etc.) and on-site (bars, stadiums). 2020 forced Heineken to work with one channel tied behind its back. The brand lost marketing tentpoles like UEFA, Coachella, and the James Bond film partnership.

Halfway into 2020, Heineken sales were down significantly. Refusing defeat, Heineken instead built the largest Q4 campaign in company history. While Beer consumption typically sinks around the holidays, Heineken believed it could find a way to put its brand at the center of the holiday table. The brand just needed to educate Americans that our unconventional celebrations should include a Heineken.

To put a silver lining on 2020, we overhauled the Q4 strategy to align with consumers changing media consumption. We leaned into new media channels and emphasized creativity, content, targeting, and - ultimately - drove conversion to Heineken sales.

We targeted adults eager to celebrate the holidays someway, somehow… and there were a lot of them.

We built a modified media plan that addressed the change in behavior with a priority on proven ROI and volume channels. And we went all in on e-commerce tactics wherever possible—including integration into streaming channels. It wasn’t enough to build brand awareness, we had to S-P-E-L-L O-U-T just how easy they could get a 6 pack… safely.

We emphasized content by aligning with holiday passion points—the 2020 holidays were uncharted territory for everyone. This meant following consumers into areas that are not frequented by beer brands (hello, Pinterest and Tastemade). A joyful tone was critical and we built partnerships with comedians and positive-minded influencers to help Heineken shine light on the end of the year. As an established symbol of holiday cheer, Heineken helped make the most of this unconventional holiday season.

When Heineken decided in late summer to use the holidays as the catalyst to change their 2020 fortunes, the team worked at warp speed to shift investments. We integrated e-commerce tactics into virtually every digital touchpoint including YouTube, VEVO, and Bustle with QR codes and store locater functionality.

We also used high-profile TV integrations with fun holiday “Heineken-liquid-to-lips” content featuring celebrities like Seth Meyers and Andy Cohen to amplify the campaign.

Spikes in streaming audio directed new shoppable extensions in podcasts and Spotify. We leveraged the increase in holiday searches on social media by partnering with Pinterest and Tastemade to create a video series helping Pinners get more festive.

And the largest holiday marketing campaign in Heineken history crescendoed with Awkwafina and the “Bestie Gift Ever” promotion, which gave fans a chance to send loved ones a custom cardboard cutout and a 6-pack of Heineken to “virtually” celebrate the holidays.

We capitalized on greater CTV consumption, increased spend levels, and employed new pause ads that drove to e-commerce landing pages – it was all new to us, the client, and the world. And yet, it performed beautifully!

Thousands of e-commerce QR codes were scanned. Heineken realized the largest share growth since 2006 and Kantar even highlighted the brand’s “Cheers to All” ad as the most effective ad of 2020.

Heineken ended the year +10% YoY with a 36% YoY growth in Q4. This was the first time since 2008, Heineken had significant YoY growth – and they did it in a year when no one expected them to do so.

The end of 2020 wound up offering the unthinkable: putting Heineken in a better position than the brand had even anticipated before the pandemic struck.