Heineken kicked off the UEFA Champions League knockout stages in the first week of February with a campaign building on its existing ‘Fresher Football’ marketing platform – which aims to make football more inclusive – called ‘Cheers To The Real Hardcore Fans’ which spans through-the-line content and a ticket competition.
The brand’s recent UCL activation has sought to level the playing field by campaigning to make football a more positive and welcoming space enabling all fans to enjoy the sport together and this wave of work, by agency LePub, sets out to refresh what it really means to be a ‘hardcore fan’.
In an effort to reclaiming this badge of honour that has for too long been associated with negative behaviour in football, the big idea explores who is a ‘real hardcore football fan’ and suggests such supporters aren’t always those who you’d expect or think.
Fronted by Dutch team captain and Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk and former England Lioness Jill Scott MBE, the work sets out to celebrate the modern face of football fandom.
The integrated activation was created by agency LePub and rolled out in key European markets – including France, Germany and United Kingdom – from 6 February.
The campaign launched with a spearhead 90-second TVC supported by a set of key visuals and video-pills published on Heineken and ambassadors’ social media channels.
Sitting at the heart of the campaign is a comic, warm, inspirational film helmed by Australian Director Mark Molloy showing the devotion people have to supporting the beautiful game.
Linked via the hashtags #FresherFootball and #RealHardcoreFans, a supporting online video called ‘Real Hardcore Fans with Virgil and Jill’ dropped across brand and ambassador channels from 8 February.
Content executions also encourage fans to find out more about the initiative by clicking through the brand’s bio and also discover how to win tickets to the Champions League Final. To emphasis its inclusive hardcore fandom support, Heineken has set aside an undisclosed number of seats at the UEFA Champions League Final for a select few real hardcore fans that share their stories with the brand and the winners will be rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime final weekend experience.
Campaign assets urge viewers to learn more about the competition and to get involved by visiting www.heineken.com/realfansseats.
The campaign was briefed in by and created for a Heineken marketing team that included Head of Global Heineken and Amstel Brands Nabil Nasser, Heineken Global Communication Director Daniela Lebba, Heineken Global Digital Director Rob van Griensven, Heineken Global Communication Manager Guilherme de Marchi Retz, Heineken Global Communication Manager Lizzy Wakkie – van de Venn, Heineken Global Digital Manager Bob van Iersel, Heineken Global Communication Manager Elena Marcos Izquierdo, Heineken Brand Global PR Lead Jonathan O’Lone and Heineken Global Sponsorship Manager Thomas Mulders.
The multi-dsciplined team at agency LePub included Global CEO LePub & CCO Publicis Worldwide: Bruno Bertelli, Global Chief Creative Officer Cristiana Boccassini, Chief Creative Officer Mihnea Gheorghiu, Executive Creative Director Eoin Sherry, Creative Directors Marie Poumeyrol and Nick Bakshi, Associate Creative Directors Adina Cirstea and Daniele Tesi, Global Head of PR & Communication Isabella Cecconi, PR Manager Eleonora Botta, Chief Strategy Officer Sol Ghafoor, Groupe Strategy Director James Moore, Director of Comms Planning Shane Roche, Global Data Strategy Director, Data & Culture Lab Ilko Petkov, Global Client Service Director Shirine Aoun, Client Service Director Davide Corti, Group Account Director Giulia Melegati, Account Supervisor Marta Dell’Adami, Account Executive Francesca Gatti, Junior Account Chiara Allievi, Chief Production Officer Francesca Zazzera, TV Producer Margherita Fonseca and Post Production Producer Sabrina Sanfratello. Key Visuals and Digital Amplification Creative Directors Marie Poumeyrol and Nick Bakshi, Associate Creative Directors Adina Cirstea and Daniele Tesi, Art Director Nicolò Pavin, Copywriter Mattia Pavin, Junior Art Director Luca Nante, plus Art Buyers and Producers Caterina Collesano, Luca Casieri and Cinzia Morandi.
The production company was SMUGGLER with Director: Mark Molloy, UK Managing Director / EP Fergus Brown, Producer Gustav Geldenhuys, Production Manager Sidney Arthur, Line Producer (Local) Mel Charrington, Production Manager (Local) Nikki Geater, DOP Mattias Rudh, 1st AD Wendy Alport, Production Designer Mike Berg, Stylist Richard De Jager, Casting Director UK Ali Fearnley, Casting Director CPT Benedicte Roumega and VFX Supervisor Simon Brown.
The Edit House was Work LA with Edit Producer Ashley Bauchman, Post Production was by Prodigious and VFX by GABHA Studios. Colour Grading was handled by Company 3, Post Audio by Disc To Disc Productions Milano. The Music Search & Licensing Director was Stefan van der Wielen, with Music Producers Thomas Harmsen and Niels Docter, Account Director Ella Chevaso and the song Shout was courtesy of Publisher Sony Music Publishing, Master MassiveMusic and Composers Isley OK, Isley R & Isley R.
Digital & Social Assets were handled by Boomerang where the team included Chief Creative Officer Eldin Fetahovic, Executive Creative Director Rico De Lange, Creative Director Dio Santos, Creative Lead Dynamic Brent Rombouts, Senior Creatives Victor Farias and Bruno Lopes, Designer Omar Gutierrez, Client Business Lead Leila Popovych, Senior Account Director Margot Corneloup, Project Lead Joyce Kooren, Amplify Lead Sebastiaan Poublon, Amplify Project Lead Nathalie Meier, Lead Digital Producer Vic Krens and Digital Content Manager Cinthya Barrera Tapia with Executive Producer Han Schuurman.
With this campaign Heineken has again taken a clear creative stance: one that steps away from brand self-celebration or eulogizing the moment of consumption and instead focusing on a commitment towards its extraordinary community.
We’d argue that this ongoing campaign is both a tribute to realness and playfulness and yet also acts as a creative point of difference: football as seen via the lenses of its fans offering an evolving perspective and a compelling and unexpected narrative.