CHALLENGE

Heineken’s corporate culture is defined through the Heineken brand.

In 2010 the Heineken brand underwent a major change in communication strategy, for which not all Heineken employees have yet fully grasped how this shift impacts on their corporate life.

The challenge therefore was to apply the new Heineken brand strategy 'Open Your World' to the corporate office environment and use the outcome to help employees to better identify themselves with the Heineken Company.

OBJECTIVE

To tell the Heineken story by demonstrating that even the most conventional and predictable situation in a corporate environment can get turned into an opportunity to 'Open your World'.

STRATEGY

Heineken believes that the world is full of possibilities that can only be accessed when getting out of your comfort zone.

EXECUTION

THE CANDIDATE is a secretly filmed job interview that gets applicants out of their comfort zone to find the talent that best fits the Heineken spirit. Job seekers were invited to a 3-staged interview: from an over-familiar interviewer, to a surprise heart attack and a fire drill.

The candidates that best managed their challenges were put to a vote amongst all Heineken employees. The winner was brought to a Champion's League match, where he was awarded the job.

OUTCOME

91% of Heineken employees watched the video and found it stimulating for their job.

422M earned media impressions.

The Candidate was the 2nd most buzzed ad.

1.13M google search results.

WHY PR LIONS?

Business to employee communication to make staff proud working for Heineken.

Primary goal was to engage employees with the Heineken brand and corporation. Secondary goal was to invite them to be part of the conversation. Criteria for success therefore were campaign awareness and interaction.

91% of Heineken employees have watched th witnessed live in the Juventus Stadium in Turin, how the winning candidate e video and found it stimulating for their job

41.000 potential Heineken consumers have officially been awarded the job.

422M earned media impressions.

The Candidate was the 2nd most buzzed ad.

1.13mio google search results

Share to view ratio of over 10%

3.473.000 views on YouTube (bulls eye on male target audience 24-54).

20.121 likes on YouTube.

15.276 times the campaign has been mentioned in social and digital media, of which 87% were favorable (79% male, age 21-50).

+279% traffic increase on Heineken’s HR sites

+317% increase in CV’s submitted after campaign launch

31.10.-12.11.12. – Heineken employees voted for the winning candidate.

20.11.12. – Guy Luchtig was told in front of 41.000 football fans during the Champions League Final that he got the job.

19.02.13. – The Candidate film went live on Heineken’s Facebook page. That same day, the story broke on Mashable, followed by a tweet from Pete Cashmore, a Mashable editor. Other Hybrid media (i.e. Huffington Post and Creativity Online) picked it up before traditional media got on board.

When Forbes, Guardian, business insider continued the story, they confirmed that not only was it humorous but also had real marketing value to the industry. Each media shared it on their social media channels, creating a knock-on effect that made the film go viral. Local markets like India and Brazil adapted THE CANDIDATE, recruiting with the same method a local photo reporter for the 2013 Champions League final.

Heineken’s corporate culture is defined through the Heineken brand.

In 2010 the Heineken brand underwent a major change in communication strategy, for which not all Heineken employees have yet fully grasped how this shift impacts on their corporate life.

An opportunity arose to apply the new Heineken brand strategy 'Open Your World' to the corporate office environment and use the outcome to help employees to better identify themselves with the Heineken Company.

Heineken believes that the world is full of possibilities that can only be accessed when getting out of your comfort zone. To encourage people to open their world, Heineken challenges small-minded thinking and cultural stereotyping by confronting people with the unexpected. With THE CANDIDATE a new approach to the standard recruitment process has been taken to tell the Heineken story in an engaging way to internal as well as external target audiences. Buzz amongst consumers was crucial to create pride within the Heineken organization. Therefore the story was seeded via strategically selected media and social media influencers to generate editorial coverage – resulting in a cascade effect in secondary and tertiary media.