With the Irish non-alcoholic beer market continuing to grow, Heineken Ireland has launched its biggest ever campaign to promote its Heineken 0.0% brand. (Video: HERE)
The new campaign, which features three-time World F1 Champion Max Verstappen, has a core message that consumers should never drive if they have been drinking alcohol.
“This new campaign will be Heineken Ireland’s largest ever Heineken 0.0% campaign” according to marketing director Fiona Curtin “Heineken® 0.0% is Ireland’s most popular alcohol-free beer, offering consumers more choice for occasions where they choose not to consume alcohol” she added.
According to Drinks Ireland, the non-alcoholic category in Ireland continued to enjoy growth in 2023. Figures compiled by the organisation show that non-alcoholic beer sales in Ireland more than tripled between 2017 and 2021, from 1.79 million to 5.55 million litres. The market share for non-alcoholic beer soared by 275% during this time, from 0.4% to 1.5%. This growth is expected to continue in 2024.
Since its launch in 2018, the company has invested over €30m in Heineken 0.0% it has taken a leading role in evolving and growing the category and today enjoys the highest share of the total market, according to Curtin.
“We know that consumers are seeking more balance, particularly Gen Z and Y and so it’s important that we continue to lead this category. This campaign has a strong message and one of the options that consumers have is to choose an alcohol-free product such as Heineken® 0.0%,” Curtin said.
The “Best Driver” campaign features Dutch F1 star Verstappen, who is seen out with a group of friends in a bar. The group are trying to decide who should drive home, with one asking, ‘Who’s the best driver?’ before Verstappen picks up a set of car keys. As he is not drinking, Verstappen becomes the designated driver and is seen driving his friend’s home safely on two separate occasions.
The campaign was created by Le Pub, which is part of Publicis while the media buying and planning is managed by dentsu.
