Heineken is promoting a cheeky responsible drinking social post with the caption “Don’t drink and start a league. Enjoy Heineken responsibly.” In the Twitter post, which features a bottle of Heineken beer, it is also stated that Heineken is a proud sponsor of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champion League. This comes amidst the uproar in the football scene over the creation of a European Super League. The league is said to be an exclusive football competition for 12 well-known football clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.

The decision to start the league did not sit well with football fans, as they felt that the European Super League was created for the involved clubs to gain more profits. According to BBC, 700 English football fans even gathered outside a game venue in England earlier this week to protest against the formation of the new league. Separately, several football associations have criticised the formation of the new league. In a joint press statement, UEFA, the English Football Association and the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and LaLiga, as well as the Italian Football Federation and Lega Serie A said it will remain united in its efforts to “stop this cynical project”. The associations added that the project is founded on the self-interest of a few clubs “at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever”.

“We will consider all measures available to us, at all levels, both judicial and sporting in order to prevent this happening. Football is based on open competitions and sporting merit; it cannot be any other way,” the statement added.

Heineken’s social post also garnered positive traction online, with many netizens saying they were amused and that it was “well-played”. One netizen also said that this is what can be termed as “great marketing”, while another deemed it the best way to promote a beer. Heineken seemed to gain brand love through this marketing stunt as well, with netizens showing support with pictures of them drinking Heineken’s beer. A particular netizen also declared Heineken as his/her top choice of beer. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Heineken for additional information.

Separately at the start of this year, Heineken moved all its media buying and planning services to dentsu. Dentsu Red Star, which currently holds the majority of Heineken global billings, is currently the sole media agency, as Heineken evolves its media operating model. The move aims to maximise its global media investment to drive sustainable business growth. As a partner, dentsu will be implementing a future media model allowing Heineken to access more specialist capabilities and talent to accelerate the growth of its brands. Publicis Groupe will retain media duties in its home country of France.

Credit: Marketing Interactive