On International Beer Day, Heineken says you can forget about the beer

“Want to grab a beer?” - an expression recognised the world over as a ''catch all phrase'' for getting together. But ironically, Heineken doesn’t mind if in the end you forget about having the actual beer; as long as you are prioritising socialising.

With sociability at Heineken’s core, celebrating these moments is more important to the brand than the beer itself; after all, Freddy Heineken, a member of the famed Heineken family who said: “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid” (a Dutch phrase meaning ‘the feeling of good times’).

To bring this brand purpose to life, the iconic brewer has created an advert, going live today on International Beer Day; that showcases how ‘forgotten beers’ on the periphery of parties, football matches celebrations or get-togethers in bars, demonstrate that good times are being had. Soundtracked to Debussy’s Claire de Lune, the powerful ad shows that the best part of having a beer isn’t actually the beer itself.

With factors like digital overload and longer working hours increasingly affecting our social lives, making sure we come together for good times is now more important than ever. A recent study[1] found nearly a quarter (24%) of the global population feels “very” or “fairly” lonely, while 6% do not feel connected “at all” to others, equating to about one in every 20 people worldwide.

Heineken® has a rich history of tackling the enemies of socialisation. Earlier this year, the brand launched ‘The Boring Phone', with no access to the internet, social media, or other apps, to help people discover there is more to their social life when there is less on their phone, as research revealed 90% of people admit to habitually scrolling on nights out[2].

While back in 2022, the brewer created ‘The Closer’, a high-tech bottle opener that used technology to close your work apps the moment you pop the lid off a Heineken.

Even for its 150th anniversary, which some may have expected to be around heritage, Heineken® created a global campaign that shows how the brand doesn’t care how consumers drink, name or spell it, as long as they are having a good time with it, one way or another. It also saw the creation of the ‘Good Times Index’, which looks at the conditions that consumers need to experience that feeling of good times.

So, for International Beer Day, Heineken’s sentiment to good times remains just the same – way ahead of the beer itself.

Dolf van den Brink, CEO of Heineken, says: “On International Beer Day, we truly get to show what the Heineken brand stands for - good times together! Of course, we celebrate our beer but what we're most proud of is 150 years of bringing people together, something that will remain at our core for as long as we continue to produce beer. Cheers!”.

Marcel Swain, head of premium at Heineken Beverages adds: “More often than not, I am the first person to highlight the taste and quality of our beer. But conversely, today isn’t about that – it’s about the moment we get so caught up with our friends, we forget our beer and enjoy our social moments with those who are special to us.”

The full ad for International Beer Day, ideated by creative agency LePub is available to watch online:

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So, Mzansi, whether you're chilling with mates around a braai or watching the game at your local hotspot remember: it’s not about the beer, it’s about the special times we share. #InternationalBeerDaySA