Heineken Zer0.0 Contact Bar
Lion Australia
Issue 58 | March 2021
Agency
Momentum Worldwide Australia
Creative Team
Creative Director Julian Schuchard Art Director Julian Schuchard
Production Team
Producer Kieran Deane Designer Iv Slauwidjaja, Ben Findlay Production Company Elastic
Other Credits
Managing Partner Imelda Hodson Account Manager Deanne Constantinou PR Team Red Havas Client Brand Manager Sam Pulsford Assistant Brand Manager Kate Sorensen
Date
July 2020
Background
Over recent years, alcohol consumption in Australia had declined by an average of 14.5%, and by up to 48% in some demographics (Nielsen). And every year, many Australians commit to consuming no alcohol for ‘Dry July’. This created a growing interest in low-alcohol and noalcohol beers.
Heineken wanted to drive awareness and sampling of their alcohol-free beer Heineken 0.0 in the lead up to Dry July 2020 but in response to the Covid crisis the government enforced the closure of bars and clubs.
Idea
To encourage sampling that would be Covid-safe, the Heineken Zer0.0 Contact Bar was a specially built installation in Sydney where programmed industrial robotic arms served samples of Heineken 0.0 to consumers when sensors detected their presence at the counter. With zero contact.
Developed in collaboration with the engineering department of one of Australia's leading technical universities and programmed with multiple synchronised movements, the robots served the beer directly to the customer, while dancing and high-fiving each other.
Two weeks of social media content drove hype and footfall with mainstream news media given exclusive access to the bar and the lead engineer. Enabling consumers to sample the new beer during a nationwide lockdown of bars also delivered on the Heineken 0.0 brand proposition of ‘Now You Can’.
Results
The Heineken Zer0.0 Contact Bar served a sample beer every minute for four consecutive days.
145 media outlets including mainstream national and international news covered the story to reach 79 million people. After the event, Heineken 0.0 beer sales increased +44% above target for the rest of 2020.
In fact, 130% more Heineken 0.0 was sold in the six months after the stunt compared to the six months before the stunt.
Our Thoughts
Creativity is what you call upon when you have a problem to solve. I imagine everything at Heineken was bubbling along nicely for a relatively traditional launch. Then lockdown happened. And you know what? They solved the problem. Did something that was probably better. There’s a brilliant film by Lars van Trier called “The Five Obstructions”. It is testimony to the power of the creative mind to absorb difficulties and triumph over them; as the team did here with Heineken 0.0.