Title	HEINEKEN #CHAMPIONTHEMATCH
Brand	HEINEKEN
Product/Service	HEINEKEN
Category	B04. Use of Digital Content
Advertising Agency	DDB & TRIBAL WORLDWIDE AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Agency	STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP London, UNITED KINGDOM
Entrant Company	STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

Name	Company	Position
Els Dijkhuizen	HEINEKEN	Heineken Communication Manager
Tim Ellerton	HEINEKEN	Global Sponsorship Manager
James Miles	Starcom Mediavest Group	Global Digital Director
Renee Lee	Starcom Mediavest Group	Global Account Manager
Ella Dollman	Starcom Mediavest Group	Global Account Manager
Natalia Mutanova/Narayan Persaud/Mariam Nasir	Starcom Mediavest Group	Media Activations Team
Bram Holzapfel	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Creative lead
Stephen Joss	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Creative lead
Alex Herwig	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Art Director
Jeroen Thissen	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Art Director
Wybe Sallows	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Strategic Planner
Steven Beukers	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Account Director
Renate Ebbenhorst	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Producer
Sam van der Zanden	DDB/Tribal Worldwide/Amsterdam	Producer

Brief Explanation

We investigated UEFA Champions League (UCL) fan drinking behaviour to understand why more fans weren’t drinking Heineken while watching matches, discovering that while UCL fans are loyal viewers, weekday matches made it difficult to make the most of the occasion. Consequently, 75% of 1 billion viewers watch matches at home, alone. This presented our opportunity - we could grow sales of Heineken if we inspired fans to upgrade their game experience with just a little thought and planning. What better than to watch the match with great friends and a beer befitting the quality of the football being played – Heineken.

Results and Effectiveness

We dominated the UCL conversation, connecting with millions of fans to create a new ritual with Heineken at the epicentre; • Most used UCL sponsor hashtag ever! • 76.4% SOV among UCL sponsors • Average 26,000x #ChampionTheMatch mentions every week • 77.7M online video views • Sizeable increases in Heineken volume sold 2014 vs.2015 (+8.9% Apr/+3.9%Mar). • Brand impact studies were hugely positive with large shifts in perception of ‘uniqueness vs other sponsors’, ‘is drinking Heineken more frequently’ vs previous years and 54% of our target claim to be inspired to make the most of UCL match viewing (Source: Blauw)

Creative Execution

A Sunday-Thursday strategy on match weeks delivered specific and inspirational messaging to prompt purchase and build a shared-viewing ritual. Twitter was crucial but we scaled across TV, digital and point-of-sale to inspire fans everywhere. BUILD-UP: Legends like Xavi Hernandez showcased how to #ChampionTheMatch across TV, digital and PR. MATCH-DAY: 3hrs from kick-off, mobile/social content created hype and reminded fans to get beers. Fernando Morientes kicked a ball +50m to crack-open a Heineken, while controversial score predictions sparked hot-debate. GAME: Player commentary and real-time Twitter conversations lit up social. The best tweets were streamed using new tech into football website display and second-screening apps. Influencers/media joined too, spreading content further.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

#ChampionTheMatch creates a new viewing ritual by tapping into fans digital-native behaviour and early-week routine. Content was perfectly tailored to the fan mind-set; whether at home, in the office or the supermarket, engaging digital content lead by Champion Leagues players armed fans with the knowledge that with a little preparation they could take viewing to new levels! We targeted time-specific messaging cross-device and platforms, to engage in the build-up and during games. Football legends from Ferdinand to Van-Nistelrooy, demonstrated crazy game-day preparations from Kung Fu houses in Amsterdam to mansions in Romania. They then made viewing epic through live Twitter commentary and Q&A with thousands of fans.