Challenge

As Heineken®’s official events agency, we were responsible for launching Heineken Silver through a monumental branded experience that would get Gen Zs and Ys talking, in a landscape transitioning out of Covid-19. As one of the first large-scale parties since Covid-19 restrictions relaxed, many Gen Zs and Ys had been deprived of nightlife and were craving its return. Heineken Silver would be responsible for setting the tone of nightlife in an almost-post-Covid world. We had to fully immerse our TA in the partying experience amidst all the rules.

Solution

To drive awareness, talkability and association effectively, we built a larger-than-life launch that was Iconic, Premium and Immersive. This formed the foundation of our three-pronged strategic approach: Impactful Branding, International Programming and Multi-Sensory Experience. We drew on Heineken’s equity with cues of the iconic star and green palette to underlie the event, but allowed Heineken Silver’s personality to take centre stage. To show how Heineken’s premiumness lent itself to Heineken Silver, it was imperative for us to work with an international line-up, which were crucial cues of premiumness to our TA. With budget limitations due to factoring for safety requirements, we had to think outside the box to create a fully immersive experience. The answer to this lay in Audiovisuals and Lights (AVL) that could play up Smoooth in the most unexpected and exhilarating ways.

Execution

To exhilarate through touchpoint, we optimised each spatial opportunity for branding and engagement. We brought the Heineken Smooooth Warehouse to our audience, iconically defining the Heineken Silver experience while creating a memorable welcome back to nightlife. We turned the challenge of regulations into opportunities by creating a linear consumer journey, guiding our TA through a completely branded experience. To create ultimate excitement with our target audience, we engaged an international headliner popular amongst our discerning Gen Z and Y crowd - Flight Facilities (AU). We also engaged Palms Trax (DE), Floyd Lavine (ZA) and local music collective Ice Cream Sundays (SG) - building a line-up that made partygoers’ return to nightlife one to be remembered. In spite of limited funding, strategically working with tour managers paid off as the line-up was instrumental to pulling in a sold-out attendance for a Wednesday night show.