Heineken has on Wednesday marked its 150th anniversary with an unconventional celebration of the many ways the brand has been nicknamed, misspelled or mis-served over the years, all to showcase how good times and sparking true connections over a beer are, in the end, what matters most.
Following Freddy Heineken’s famous words, “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid” – Dutch for feeling of good times – Heineken is putting good times front and centre of its global birthday festivities.
Marking a turning point in the brand’s history, Heineken has decided to evolve the way it measures success – focusing not just on the volume of beer it sells but also the good times it delivers for its customers in over 190 countries.
Good Times Index
As part of this campaign, the brand has collaborated with behavioural scientist Dr Chris Brauer, Goldsmiths, University of London, to create the ‘Good Times Index’, a new brand measurement model which will score the brand’s contribution to creating the perfect conditions for good times.
Through human behavioural research, the index has identified five core conditions that people universally need to experience good times, including open-mindedness, inclusivity, and human connection.
With the Good Times Index in place, Heineken is becoming the first beer brand to officially have ‘delivering good times’ as part of the way it measures its annual performance – alongside sales and other brand tracking metrics.
“Brewing good times has been in our DNA for 150 years. That is why we are evolving our brand metrics to show that creating good times is equally as important as the beer we produce,” Bram Westenbrink, global head for Heineken brand, said.
“By better understanding the conditions behind good times in today’s world, we can continue to create experiences for all our global customers that promote that feeling of gezelligheid – whether that is through the messages in our advertising, our sponsorships and events or of course our range of products including our non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0 or our more modern flavoured Heineken Silver. It is our goal that we will continue to deliver good times, one way or another, for the next 150 years and beyond.”
Dr Chris Brauer, director of innovation at Goldsmiths, University of London, added: “When we came to this project, we recognised that the understanding of what makes a good time, required a new and fresher perspective. Together with Heineken, we have worked to better understand the multiple dimensions that make up that feeling of ‘Good Times’, and the ways in which it is experienced today.
“There has never been a more important time or opportunity to measure the role and prevalence of good times in our lives, so I’m excited to see a brand like Heineken take serious steps to ensure that they are better understanding and enabling that feeling of ‘gezelligheid’.”
Heineken’s inaugural results from the Good Times Index comes at an important moment socially around the world, as 87 per cent of consumers believe it is more important now than ever for them to have a good time. But one thing that is consistent, is that good times are best enjoyed together.
Additional consumer research from Heineken shows that 82 per cent care more about being with friends than if their night goes to plan. Surprisingly, 75 per cent of respondents believe that the people you watch a sport match with is more important than if your team wins.
Despite the fact 87 per cent of respondents believe opportunities to connect in person with loved ones have become even more important since the pandemic, over half (61 per cent) agreed that given the current economic climate, they would be more likely to work overtime and sacrifice social moments with friends and family.
Nevertheless, many remain open-minded about good times ahead, with the vast majority (88 per cent) agreeing their best memories come from unexpected moments. This open-mindedness follows through into the ways we socialise, as 78 per cent agree it is important to socialise with people that don’t always share the same views as them – a sentiment most strongly held in Brazil (84 per cent) and the UK (81 per cent).
ATL campaign
The anniversary’s tongue-in-cheek ATL campaign takes viewers on a journey around the globe to embrace all the different ways people adapt and enjoy social moments and memories with Heineken – ranging from an incorrectly spelt tattoo of the logo to a Heineken Original being served with a lime, straw and ice. The light-hearted video sees the brewer celebrate the good times it provides – even if the way consumers spell or enjoy it isn’t 100 per cent correct or as originally intended.
To further poke fun at itself, Heineken will replace its logo with a number of alternative spellings it has seen over the years, appearing across all of Heineken’s social media accounts and website pages, as well as on several new electric lorries.
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