The Campaign

The media landscape in Singapore is changing. With the rise of Web 3.0 and advancement of smartphones, tablet computers and faster broadband and mobile services, consumption habits for media have evolved. People now want to be heard, they want to share experiences, they want to participate and even broadcast . Messages to consumers and viewers have to have a purpose and above all appeal to the viewers at a higher level, be that through entertainment, utility or context. The media environment is highly regulated by the government, and the messaging is often treated with skepticism from both government and brands. Good brand content allows people to connect at a far deeper level of engagement through encouraging peer endorsement and authenticity, critical to succeed in media-savvy Singapore.

Results

The Challenge: Beer advertising in Singapore is saturated and ultra-competitive. Whilst our communication target audience ’ (18-44 yrs) consumption habits for media were shifting from traditional to online and social media, the beer industry was still relying heavily on traditional media and on-ground experiential activity to communicate to audiences. To ensure that Heineken remains as a thought-leader and is relevant to the our digitally-savvy target audience , Heineken needed to differentiate itself by turning to non-traditional means to engage with audiences. The Objective: Convince audiences that Heineken is actually more than just your regular lager; that it is of premium international standards and worth paying more for. The Strategy: Go to where no beer had gone before. Create the ultimate product demonstration by showcasing Heineken as a social currency that is valued and recognised internationally. The Execution: Introducing – Heineken ‘The Passport’. An epic journey across Asia using nothing but bottles of Heineken as a means of trading for transportation, lodging, food and other miscellaneous expenses. We auditioned for our intrepid explorer, Heineken’s Man of the World, and for an entire two weeks, he travelled from the desolate regions of Inner Mongolia, China to the cosmopolitan backdrops of Bangkok, Thailand. Utilising our network of international distributors, our protagonist restocked on Heineken at various checkpoints to fuel his journey from start to finish. His entire adventure was captured on film and put up online as engaging content for audiences to follow and share. With the completion of the journey, we took beer advertising in Singapore far away from the competition and closer to online and social media-savvy audiences. The medium became the message, proving that Heineken is known and valued beyond national borders.

The unique nature of the idea meant that the media really got behind it from the get go. The story was picked up by major global and local broadcasters including The Wall Street Journal Asia Online, BBC World Service Radio, Channel NewsAsia, and the Straits Times. We kept up the momentum through targeted social seeding and online content drivers, which led to a campaign portal that housed the episodes. This was the first time a brand had created a digital experience where watching, liking, sharing and commenting on the content earned consumer points towards daily rewards and a grand prize.

The Results: - 3.28 million online video views - 43% ROI on earned media versus paid media - $714,000 PR value secured, including The Wall Street Journal Asia Online, BBC World Service Radio, Yahoo & Regional broadcast station, Channel NewsAsia AM Live, Straits Times full page feature and FHM front page and 3-page feature article - Heineken Singapore Facebook Fan Base increased from 22, 828 to 65,721 during the duration of the campaign, +300% - Brand preference scores increased by 23.7% and top of mind awareness by 33.6% versus the previous year - Brand imagery statements of ‘worth paying more for’ increased by 6.39% and ‘Leading International Brand’ by 3.3% versus the previous year - On a total Singapore volumes perspective, the successful campaign led to incremental sales, achieving a total brand MQT growth of 15.6% versus the previous year. Source: TNS Malt Liquor Brand Tracking (MLBT) as of Nov’12 ACNielson Retail Panel Nov 2012 figures