Removing stigma / The campaign is underpinned by global research commissioned by Heineken to explore motivations of drinkers selecting non-alcoholic beer and the stigmas that they face.
Some 21% of Gen Z say they have concealed drinking low and no alcohol versions of alcoholic beverages because of social pressures. And 38% of Gen Z men say they would be willing to drink low and no alcohol versions of alcoholic drinks, but only if their friends do too.
To address the stigma and encourage people to drink Heineken 0.0 in a whole range of social scenarios, the brewer has moved beyond linking its beer with specific issues such as safe driving highlighted in previous campaigns, including 2023’s Driving Without Barriers in Brazil.
Instead it taps into changing drinking habits – a fifth of drinkers now say they moderate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at evening social gatherings with friends or family – to highlight that drinking Heineken 0.0 needn’t be for negative reasons or confined to abstinence months like ‘Dry January’ and ‘Sober October’.
Reframing category norms / Heineken’s campaign makes the case for its non-alcoholic beer by emphasising that it tastes good.
This broadens the potential audience for its 0.0 brand by capitalising on Gen Z’s reputation as the ‘sober curious’ generation – 61% of Gen Zers in the US say they plan to cut back on their alcohol consumption, compared to 40% in 2023, and are looking for new alternatives in social scenarios.
Heineken’s confident message and focus on the quality of its product, together with its commitment to a long-term campaign that runs throughout the year, was developed to appeal to these curious drinkers. The campaign moves closer to the witty, entertaining tone of traditional beer advertising and provides a twist on the approach of rivals such as Corona, which have also introduced the possibility of new consumption occasion.
