The Brief

Christmas is arguably the toughest time of year to advertise. The vast majority of alcohol brands have some form of marketing push at this time, and our consumers are much less likely to consume traditional advertising, because of work, family and social commitments. The objective of this programme therefore was to provide a measurable engagement to: 1. endear a positive response to the brand 2. create a mechanism of peer endorsement and drive earned media 3. encourage preference and consumption over the campaign period. In a way that demonstrates the brands innovative ‘man of the world’ positioning.

Creative Execution

Heineken consumers have an expectation of surprise and delight from their brand communications. Always extraordinary and international, it was critical to share the joy of Christmas in a way that was genuine and authentic. In a way that bought Heineken’s ‘man of the world’ positioning to life as an innovative expression. The brand became the catalyst of Christmas cheer. An experience that harnessed the conversations that were already happening online but then took them offline, to truly celebrate friendship. Turning goodwill into good sales.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We created the first Christmas tree powered by social media. A 2 week experience that got Singaporeans out from their computers screens* to share social moments in real life. A 11-metre tall ‘tree’ with 48 LCD screens. Content was generated from global festive greetings through an app on Facebook. We maximized response rates by ensuring the propagation mechanism was inherent to the idea. We also identified that Singapore lacked one central Christmas icon, so we turned Clarke Quay into a Christmas destination ensuring maximum physical engagement and consumption. * Singaporeans spend more time on Facebook than any other nationality.

Results

We delivered a demonstrable brand and business results: 1. Create positive impact on brand imagery scores increase by 8.2% vs. Dec 2011 2. Create buzz and awareness around the festive message. Facebook app engagement rate of 15.7%, 108,534 unique visitors using the app 300,000 people visited the tree. 3.2+ million people were exposed through unpaid digital and social media Traditional PR value in market was SGD$286,400, exceeding last year’s campaign by 29%, exceeding the given target by 19% 3. Incremental Sales Increase 53% more beer was sold at participating outlets, exceeding the given target by 38% (target: 15%)*.