World-famous beer brand Heineken has a new slogan to its name – Open Your World. And while it’s catchy enough, the question must be begged – what does it actually mean? Is there a danger for companies that come up with a clever motto to promote their goods and which fail to really drive the point home?
Heineken seems to have an answer to this particular problem and yes, you guessed it, it’s experiential marketing. Speaking to AdNews, marketing manager for the company’s Australia arm Nada Steel explained that the aim is to make a deeper connection with customers and give people a greater number of physical and local experiences.
“Heineken is world class at this globally and we wanted to drive that home locally and give consumers in Australia an actual taste for what Open Your World means. These events really bring it to life, because otherwise it becomes just a bit of a tagline, to be honest,” she said.
On a practical level, this means putting on events like the Heineken City Shapers Festival in Melbourne (as well as smaller affairs in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane), where people will be whisked off to a secret location where they can enjoy music, food, art and entertainment.
As Ms Steel observed, what Heineken is really after is penetration, reach and the creation of more “adorers” of the brand – which is surely what every company is really trying to achieve.
Previous examples of Heineken experiential marketing campaigns include the creation of special bottles of the beer that were fitted with GPS and an accelerometer. These were then placed on pedestals around Amsterdam bearing the words ‘Follow Me’. When the bottle was picked up, it vibrated, with the cap lighting up and swiveling around to direct people to the Heineken Experience Brewery.
Certainly, it seems as though Heineken is a shining example of what can be done if you just think outside the box. Why not see what other campaigns you could take inspiration from this year?