Dutch beer brand Heineken has a classic advertising message when it comes to sports marketing: surprising and rewarding male soccer fans to build on the idea that Heineken is your own personal beer buddy. B&T looks into how the brands messaging has changed over time.
Heineken has partnered with the UEFA Champions League since 2005. Heineken has the rights to exclusive UEFA Champions League content, like back stadium tour and UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour. Sports research firm IMR estimates that the sponsorship agreement (2012-2015) costs Heineken an estimated $70 million per year. Neither parties have confirmed this amount.
The brand has avoided sponsoring individual teams within the competition. According to Heineken, the reason for that us the company is a ‘great host’ and would achieve a larger reach of fans globally by sponsoring the whole competition. The UCL sponsorship is the brand’s biggest worldwide, activated in 220 markets across the globe.
Director global Heineken sponsorships at Heineken International, Hans Erik Tuijt said: “Heineken and the UEFA Champions League are an absolute match. The UEFA Champions League has become the pinnacle of European football and world’s largest sporting event; Heineken is the world’s most valuable, international premium beer brand. Through the Heineken Star Experience we want to take the fans’ enjoyment of the UEFA Champions League to a whole new level.”
The majority of Heineken’s UEFA campaigns star white, male blokes enjoying football- often hindered by their girlfriend (2013, 2014) or work commitments (2015). Check out Heineken’s UEFA campaigns since 2005:
The Square (2005)
Welcome to Champions Planet (2006)
Get Together (2008)
The Heineken Star Experience (2009)
Legendary Football (2011)
An unexpected guest (2012)
Road to final (2013)
https://youtu.be/5BeXPTrbe_s
Share The Sofa (2014)
Shoe Sale (2014)
Work versus soccer (2015)
https://youtu.be/b6JEIhEeuNI
The Match (2015)
https://youtu.be/U7-LVFG5o9c
The Dilemma (2016)
The Cliché (2016)
Champion the Match (2016)
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