The Campaign

In a country where curiosity isn’t something people encourage, we sent out hidden invitations bringing those who were curious to an adventure they will never forget. Their journey was documented and shared with the nation to inspire more people to be curious about their city. The Heineken video received more than 4 million views in only 2 days. Heineken saw a 24% positive impact on brand closeness with the consumer and more importantly, 27% sales increase versus the previous summer.

Success of the Campaign

The Heineken campaign video received more than 4 million views in only 2 days. Totaling in 40 million impressions on social media. Heineken saw 24% positive impact on the brand closeness with the consumer, and more importantly, sales increased 27% compared to the previous summer.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

Heineken planted invitations, inspired by local culture, all over Shanghai and on social media leading to one mysterious address. For two days, an old Shanghai lane house was transformed into an once-in-a-lifetime. Those curious enough to follow the address were rewarded with an unforgettable ride through the six destinations found on Heineken’s limited edition city bottles. Participant’s reactions were filmed during the ride, and made into a video that was posted online right after the ride. Also at the end of the ride, Heineken placed 3D imaging and printing technology in a chandelier to scan each participant’s facial features. Replicas of their faces were then printed and placed on life-size statues. Three weeks later, Heineken covered the city with the statues at undisclosed locations for Shanghai to discover. QR codes were placed on each statue turning them into media drivers that lead users to view the spot on Heineken’s WeChat.

We were tasked to increase Heineken’s local relevancy in China by bringing its global “Open Your City” campaign to China in a way that the consumers can relate to. The problem in China is that while people have the desire to explore their city, it’s rare that they act on it because for them curiosity often leads to trouble rather than good. So the strategy was to make curiosity rewarding and to inspire 25 to 35 year-olds to open their city. Heineken’s creative idea was to create a world-class experience in Shanghai that was open only for those who were curious enough to follow the adventure.