In Puerto Rico, the main media outlets are still rooted in traditional advertising methods. Brand messages are mostly limited to commercial breaks between programming segments and formatted around standardized time slots.

Local programming executives are used to this system and have not yet developed a model flexible enough to accommodate engaging original content that integrates naturally into their programs, especially when the content deviates from the traditional 30-second spot.

To make matters more complicated, US Hispanic networks own the largest local stations, so programming is often retransmitted from other markets. This makes locally produced network content increasingly scarce.

Therefore, brand ideas that require unconventional but seamless integration into existing formats often suffer or get killed due to local media outlet’s old habits and restrictions.

And even those brands that bypass integrations and decide to create original content from scratch still face restrictions if they wish to air it through mass media. It is often very expensive, requiring the purchase of entire commercial breaks.

Heineken had to come up with an especially clever way to create content in the Puerto Rican media landscape.

Christmas is Puerto Rico’s favorite season. Because of its many local traditions and celebrations, their Christmas is the longest in the world. It’s a total of 59 days.

Naturally, Christmas is a very competitive season for beer brands. Sales reach their highest peaks during November, December, and January.

Heineken had to find a way to create a campaign to stand out and truly connect with Puerto Ricans during Christmas. And what better way to do it than through music? Puerto Rico’s most famous Christmas song is 'Feliz Navidad' by José Feliciano. But, curiously, the song only has one verse. That’s it.

Heineken’s campaign gave Puerto Ricans the chance to extend their classic song until it did justice to the country’s particularly long Christmas.

Through Facebook and an IVR phone service, people could write and record their verses. Each week, the best ones were made into radio spots. This motivated more people to write even more verses. The funniest ones were sung by José Feliciano himself on YouTube.

To hear how the entire extended song was coming along, people could play it online anytime or visit Heineken’s musical Christmas tree at Plaza Las Américas, the biggest mall in the Caribbean.

At the end, José Feliciano rerecorded 'Feliz Navidad' with the winning verses for Heineken. It was launched through national radio.

To actually extend the Puerto Rican Christmas one more day, Heineken threw a Christmas concert featuring the extended version of 'Feliz Navidad.' The event was a week after San Sebastián Street Festival, a famous 4 day-long celebration that marks the end of Puerto Rico’s Christmas.

'Feliz Navidad' (Merry Christmas) is a world-famous Christmas song by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. Since 1970, the song has been a top hit during Christmas on the island’s major radio stations and celebrations.

Puerto Ricans also take pride in knowing they have the longest Christmas in the world. It’s a total of 59 days.

Heineken just had to ask: 'How’s it possible that the country with the longest Christmas in the world, also has a Christmas song so short it only has one verse?' The entire country was up for the challenge to make a Longer Merry Christmas.

So many verses were submitted that the 3-minute song ended up lasting 15 hours and 14 minutes. The classic song became forever associated with Heineken.

During Christmas season, Heineken had the highest advertising campaign recall and achieved the highest top of mind awareness compared to its 2 closest competitors combined (whose media investment was 5 times higher).

The campaign not only increased Heineken’s Brand Likeability Index to a record high of 75%, it also became the brand most associated with Puerto Rican Christmas.

In 6 weeks the campaign received over $230,000 in free publicity.