Heineken City: Creating a lifestyle
November 14, 2008 by Katherine Liew
Filed under Marketing
There’s a mistaken perception that branding is just about designing a pretty logo and sticking to a font.
Sure, Heineken’s done that.
Image: Adverbox
But they’ve also created an integrated brand experience with a solid message: we’re green, we support music and fashion, and we’re cool.
Beer branding has generally been limited to having a recognisable bottle, quirky/humourous ads and scantily clad promo girls distributing male-oriented merchandise. The rest of the brand experience is left in the hands of the retailers.
Heineken is changing that. They’ve spent a significant amount of money building retail store ‘Heineken the City’ in Amsterdam (photo of three storey fridge and beer wall [above], more here), the Heineken City website, creating Heineken Premium Events and running sustainability projects. In short, Heineken the brand isn’t just about beer, it’s a lifestyle with an identity.
So what do you think? How do you see Heineken, compared to other beers?
Click below for more info, pics and analysis…
There’s a few really great things about Heineken’s branding…
- There’s a solid and consistent message
- The branding tactics used all fit into the larger strategy
- They’ve taken control of their brand experience
Components:
- Interactive website – a lush Flash island with videos, different ’streets’ with information about the company, the product and their upcoming events
- Viewers get information in an interesting way
- Online services – Users can get their own HeiCity email address (or ‘apartment’) classified as one of three different types of consumer, giving personal details to receive a ‘key’ which gives access to real-world events – points are given at the ‘bank’ for using the email
- Heineken consumers are offered value (in the form of VIP access and a points system) to become part of the brand and help to publicise it – the company can also reap valuable information
- ‘Heineken the City’ – a retail concept embodying the brand: with a three storey fridge, recording studios, music lounges, fashion clothing store, tickets sales for Heineken events and of course the latest in art and technology.
- All images: ArchDaily.com
- A community investment initiative which creates Heineken branded bags from old billboards
- Shows commitment to the community & environment, as well as creating premium accessories
- Sponsoring premium music events and creating music festivals around the world
- Gaining access to the type of events their product is usually consumed at (and being able to offer exclusive benefits at these events)
It’s great to see a brand which is willing to take risks on big ideas, as well as engaging consumers in new ways!
It is very good branding to have a city for your product especially when it is centered around social meetings and sex
Heineken has had a very complete understanding of branding given their success with an average tasting beer. When I was in Amsterdam last year, i had to go to give the Heineken Experience brewery a visit… where they got me to give them my email address: it’s easier when you get your cusomters/vistors tipsy ;)
Anyways, in parallel to this great branding work that they’ve done, they’ve ventured into the viral world with a video they put on the main page of their website to announce the re-opening of the brewery: I found it in my mail box. http://www.heinekenexperience.com
In conclusion, I want to give, a tip of my hat to Heineken for using world-class integrated marketing!
That’s awesome. Heineken has done a fantastic job with branding; so much so that I’ve even heard people refer to it as though Heineken = beer. It’s not super prolific because there are other well branded beers out there. But when it comes to targeting the young, hip crowd, Heineken has been massively successful.