We decided to play a prank on Simone, an ardent Roma supporter. He has been watching the Champions League with his friends for many years – and that night wasn’t going to be an exception. Until we presented him with an irresistible offer – a VIP ticket to watch his team play Real Madrid.

Naturally, he decides to leave his buddies. But after receiving an unusual call from his friends before the match and facing the enormous pressure of an entire stadium challenging his choice, Simone changes his mind. This leads to an unexpected turn of events.

15 minutes before the starting whistle, we connected our victim with the friends he betrayed through the big screen of the stadium. They seemed to be in the usual living-room in which they use to watch every Champions League match. They talked directly to him, blaming him for his decision, showing the whole stadium his betrayal and pushing him to get back where he belongs: next to them.

How? Using an helicopter provided by Heineken, outside the stadium, ready to leave.

Under the pressure of 60.000 witnesses, Simone finally decided to leave, escorted towards the nearest exit.

The door he opened didn’t led him outside but in a sky box where we recreated the friends’ livingroom down to the last detail, from where actually the group was calling him to join them. The group, finally reunited, was able to follow the match live. Enjoying an ice cold Heineken, of course.

The results were impressive. In just a few days the film gained national and international PR exposure. It racked up over 1.2 million views on the Italian section of Facebook, 1 million views on YouTube with no media budget and was featured on high visibility news outlets, including the main sports papers of Italy, Denmark, the UK, Sweden, Japan, Korea, and China. It also featured on a Netherland’s TV news program and the front page of 9gag.

Youtube spontaneous views (no media paid): 1.096.968

Facebook and Twitter views: 6.185.475

Facebook reach: 6.779.252

Facebook interactions: 2.590.561

Total impressions through all web channel activated : 13.514.549

Video shared and posted spontaneously on more than 300 websites all over the world in 3 weeks.

The film was launched online on the day of an upcoming match; although the target audience were Italians only and Heineken media buys covered just the national section of the internet (YouTube pre-rolls and local Facebook targeting), PR helped to spread the message all around the world, turning The Dilemma into a truly global campaign. More than 300 media outlets (TV-channels, magazines and websites) covered the story in 28 countries, which was a good extra coverage for a beer that is present in all of them

72% of guys watch the Champions League at home, on their own. But why?

2016 was also not looking like a good year for Italian football – only Roma and Juventus had made it through to the group stages, and both faced strong opponents. Other big teams, like Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan hadn’t qualified. This meant that many Champions League viewers were neutrals who were watching for entertainment.

This, paired with the fact that more and more Italians are working late and that the Champions League is awkwardly scheduled on a Tuesday or Wednesday meant that many forgot it was on…until it was too late.

We had to inspire guys to prepare to watch with mates by showing them that the extra thought and effort is worth it.

2016 presented a huge opportunity for us to leverage Heineken’s sponsorship of the Champions League. Football-crazy Italy is one of Heineken’s most important markets in Europe and, in May, the Champions League Final will be hosted here in Milan.

Watching matches together here is a time-honed tradition, especially the sacred Champions League. However, it’s increasingly at risk – figures suggest that as many as 72% of guys watch the Champions League at home alone. For Heineken, this was both a practical business problem (less beer sold) and a brand problem. Heineken’s “Champion the Match” strategy is about making match night the best it can be – which also means watching with mates.

It was our job to drive penetration during this key period by encouraging guys to watch the UCL together, as well as launch our “Champion the Match” promo.