SPONSORSHIP
QR codes
in action
as a brand to add value to those occasions, because
they aren't sociable moments to open a beer. There's no
Interaction."
In line with the company's new brand message, Open
Your World, Heineken® sought a way to create consumer-
centred experiences. "We decided that music festivals
and live music events are what we should focus on.
They're sociable, they have beer enjoyment at their heart,
and they are not just about the music; they're about
interaction and unexpected moments.
"These days, it's common for consumers to record their
experiences and post the footage - on YouTube and
Facebook. The moment lives on. Our strategy is all about
providing these unexpected moments, which music
consumers can share with their friends and family at
home. By inviting people to participate, we've shifted the
focus from the artists to the consumers."
Leveraging Global Scale
By facilitating these moments - which often live longer
in festival-goers' minds than the musicians onstage,
and which have the potential to live on virally - brand
awareness is increased across a much wider market.
Live Access
"We have great assets in our portfolio," says Joost. "We've focused on
the top 15 or 20 big global festivals. We create a solid infrastructure
- provide hotels, transportation, chaperones, a VIP experience - and
markets can build promotional campaigns around that.
"We're one of the few global beer brands - if not the only one - that can
bring all these assets together and provide a tried and true approach
for our markets to leverage those assets to the fullest."
"Through our Live Access programme we're also leveraging
our music sponsorship platform to target the 90% of
our consumers who'll never attend these events. Our
markets have access to a whole range of promotions,
VIP packages, and unique experiences to use in local
activations. It's another way of building our brand equity
and stimulating conversation.
"People don't just go to festivals within their own country;
they also travel. We're a global brand: people expect us
to provide tickets and programmes for the best festivals
around the world, so that's what we do with Live Access.
This is the third season of our Live Access programme,
and we're sending a few hundred consumers around the
globe on a yearly basis. It's another unique Heineken®
experience, adding brand value on many levels."
Creating Memorable Moments
Creating these memorable moments that festival goers
want to share via social media isn't easy. At Poland's
Heineken®-sponsored Open'er Music Festival this year,
attendees were invited to create a bespoke QR code sticker
containing a personalised message. Some 5,000 were
printed over four days - three times more than anticipated
- and it's this kind of creative experience that is key to the
new Heineken® approach.
"Music consumers are sceptical about branding; it needs
to be really subtle," Joost confirms. "At Sensation (an
electronic dance event with an all-white dress code) in
Asia recently, we handed out wristbands at the entrance.
At 12.30am, the remix of our brand music played and
the wristbands containing LED lights were turned on
and pulsed with the rhythm of the music. It's subtle but
recognisable branding. We're not there to shove Heineken®
in people's faces; that won't work."
The Heineken® 'Human Equalizer' music video is another
great example of a value-added experience that lives
on via the internet. Festival goers enter a bespoke video
36 World of HEINEKEN Quarter 4 2012
