Heineken - a lesson of a consistency

During my studies I’ve learned that communication strategies must be designed for the long term. And I try to apply this principle even in my everyday life, because I think that you cannot get good results without effort, without investing time and resources, without careful planning the important decisions in the long run.

The continuity of a communication effort is one of the things I appreciate most about the personality of a brand. The ability to convey consistency when creating the message and to maintain a narrative line through all the communication campaigns gives you the feeling, as a consumer, that the brand is a responsible one and worth of your engagement. One of these brands is Heineken, which I admire because it is really making efforts to be constantly present in the blogosphere and it has started to be more rooted in the digital environment, as it should be every major brand nowadays.

 Even from 2010, Heineken managed to develop a viral commercial through the advertising campaign "Walk-in fridge", which generated a lot of parodies and was shared many times, which led to the increasing awareness of the brand among internet users.

Also in 2010 took place that spectacular event in Italy, where classical music concert became, in fact, watching the historic match between Real Madrid and AC Milan. Then, in 2011, it was the launch of the campaign with Heineken Mansion, which rewarded football fans with a getaway in a heavenly location. But what I appreciate is that Heineken has managed to step beyond the association between beer and football, a step that only few brands of beer took.

To make this leap, Heineken created a series of videos for the campaign called "The Entrance", one of the first campaigns for the brand's digital environment. The success was huge, as the first video in the series scored over 3 million views in the first three weeks of release. Also, the campaign tagline was an inspired one - "Open Your World" - which marked the beginning of a different and successful approach for Heineken.

I'm sure that a significant contribution had the partnership agreement with Google, which was a very inspired strategic decision for the manufacturer of beer. The focus on video content and its ability to generate engagement and interaction among the target audience were other key elements that brought success and visibility for Heineken.

Andra Androniciuc