SUB CATEGORY :

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: SPORTS

ENTRANT COMPANY :

BBH CHINA LTD., SHANGHAI

TITLE :

HEINEKEN FANTENDERS

BRAND :

HEINEKEN

ADVERTISER :

HEINEKEN MANAGEMENT (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.

AGENCY :

BBH CHINA LTD., SHANGHAI/ PUBLICIS ADVERTISING CO., LTD SHANGHAI BRANCH, SHANGHAI

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

KELLY PON (PUBCOM SHANGHAI)

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

TIEXIN LI/ZIZI SHI

ART DIRECTOR :

OWEN OU

COPYWRITER :

IKKI WANG

AGENCY PRODUCER :

ALICIA ZHAO/KEN WANG/TIFFANY WANG

SENIOR EDITOR :

LIAM CHEN

CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR :

CENRI CHEN

ACCOUNT MANAGER :

COCO CHANG

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR :

ALLEN ZHANG/DAVY CHAU

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

PRODIGIOUS CHINA, SHANGHAI

MANAGING DIRECTOR :

RAN YIN

DIRECTOR :

WU QI

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :

CHEN BAIHUI

CAMERAMAN :

ZHAO FENGYUN

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR :

ZHANG ZHINING/HUANG LEIXING

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

SEAN CHEN

FILM PRODUCER :

EVA WU

PRODUCTION MANAGER :

XU QIANQIAN

PRODUCTION DESIGNER :

TANG ZHENG

LIGHTING :

LI WANJUN/CHEN WEIXIANG/SUN WENBO/FENG SHIYE/
WANG JUNQI/CHENG JUNMING/XIA ZONGLU/LIU BO

GRADING :

ZHU CHUNRONG

CASTING :

TINGTING

STYLIST :

FAY LUO

WARDROBE :

FAY LUO

HAIR & MAKE-UP :

YANG MI/AN MINGLONG/ZHANG BIN/LAN ZIYANG

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :

PRODIGIOUS CHINA, SHANGHAI

EDITOR :

SONG YANG

FLAME ARTIST :

AMOUS ZHOU/CAFFREY ZHAO

POST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

BIS CHEN

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

EAST COAST STUDIO, SHANGHAI

SOUND DESIGNER :

DONG HAILI/YE MINGZHOU

SOUND PRODUCER :

WANG YIN

MUSIC DIRECTOR :

SHI RUI

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

China’s declining economy, rising labor costs, and budget-conscious consumers have negatively impacted the bar industry, with revenues dropping by a third. Government regulations mandating bars to close by 2 AM have only compounded the issue.

The UEFA Champions League will begin in China at 3 AM local time, but with bars closing at 2 AM, fans have no place to watch the matches.

To address this issue, Heineken, a long-time UEFA sponsor committed to strengthening its connection with football culture globally, aims to tackle these two challenges head-on and come up with a win-win solution for both parties with an initiative called Fantenders. (Fans+Bartenders)

It is a new late-night business model, that allows passionate hardcore football fans to take over bars at 3 AM during European matches. By doing so, bars can remain profitable opening beyond regular hours while providing fans a place to enjoy the games.

To generate excitement for its business model, Heineken produced a recruitment film online to raise awareness.

They then enlisted UEFA legends Marco Materazzi, Michael Owen, and Virgil van Dijk to lead a recruitment campaign on Douyin (China’s TikTok), aimed at Chinese football fans and inviting them to apply for after-hours roles in bars after-hours

The response from the football community was overwhelming, with nearly 448,000 applications—20 times the average for user-generated content submissions. It was a dream come true for the community – this initiative not only allowed fans to watch UEFA games together in bars but also gave them the chance to serve as bartenders and hosts for their football parties, even if just for a few hours

The Fantender initiative took place across seven cities in China from June to July 2024.

CREATIVITY/IDEA/INSIGHT :

[BACKGROUND]
Due to time zone differences between China and countries hosting major football tournaments, key matches often air at 3 AM. In the 2000s, the Chinese government recommended that bars close by 2 AM, leading to a decline in nightlife. Even after this regulation was lifted, many bars continued to close early due to reduced late-night patronage.

Bars that want to accommodate late-night football fans face significant challenges, as staying open requires an average 38% increase in operating expenses. This creates financial and resource management hurdles, making it difficult for venues to balance profitability with the demand for late-night sports viewing.

[INSIGHT]
Bars: Many bars are opting out of hosting late-night football games due to poor return on investment.
Fans: Without a venue to watch together, fans miss the true excitement and communal experience of European Champions League games.

[IDEA - HEINEKEN FANTENDERS]
Heineken creates a new late-night business model that taps into the enthusiasm of football fans to activate vacant bars across the city. We enable passionate fans to take over these bars after 3 AM., lowering operational costs for owners while offering fans a perfect gathering spot and a sense of community during the Champions League.

STRATEGY :

[TARGETS]:
Bar Owners: Struggling with a declining bar economy, high labor costs, and low patronage beyond operating hours.
Football Fans: Seeking an open venue to watch European games at 3 AM with fellow fans.


[CURRENT RELATIONSHIP]:
Bars are high-consumption on-trade channels in China. Football tournaments further drive consumption on these channels. A NielsenIQ, report revealed a 50% increase in beer sales during major football tournaments.

Heineken holds a 6% market share in this channel (Source: Heineken Annual Report, 2023), while Budweiser leads with about 18%. This disparity puts Heineken at a disadvantage in attracting consumers and building stronger partnerships with bar owners and fans.

[CONSUMER JOURNEY]:
To support their on-trade partners (bar owners) and win over football fans, Heineken utilized social media, starting with Douyin to generate conversation. By connecting the challenges of bar owners with the needs of football fans, Heineken empowered football fans to manage bars, boosting Heineken’s visibility and appeal to both groups during key moments.

EXECUTION :

The campaign launched with a recruitment film online to raise awareness. Then football legends Marco Materazzi, Michael Owen, and Virgil van Dijk, were enlisted to lead a recruitment campaign on Douyin (China’s TikTok), inviting fans to apply for Fantender positions.

[PHASE 1 - SHOW YOUR SKILL]:
Through Douyin, Heineken and global ambassadors extend a mysterious interview invitation encouraging die-hard fans to apply for different bar roles with their unique skills, ultimately taking over bar operations. Fans apply for Fantender roles through a Douyin video template, with the most-voted applicants being “hired”.

[PHASE 2 - RUN THE BAR]:
Heineken Fantenders first launched on the day of the UEFA Champions League final, with successful Fantenders taking over the designated partnership bars at 3 AM that day. Bolstered by Heineken's regular sponsorships, Heineken and the fans turned the disappointment at 3 AM into pure excitement.


[PHASE 3 - CONTINUE THE HYPE]:
The Fantender model continued through the semifinals and finals of the European Championship across seven cities, establishing a sustainable framework for future events. This initiative not only revitalized the bar scene but also provided fans with a unique opportunity to celebrate football together.

RESULT :

Heineken's innovative late-night business model expanded to seven major cities, enabling bars to attract late-night football fans who had previously been overlooked.

Due to the success of this model, Heineken is committed to continuing its expansion in 2025 and beyond.

[COMMUNICATION SUCCESS]:
1) The #Fantenders campaign garnered 890 million topic impressions.
2) Over 14.9 million engagements.
3) Generated 448,000 user-generated content videos on Douyin, 20 times more than previous Heineken campaigns.

[BUSINESS IMPACT]:
1) Participating bars saw an average sales increase of 250% compared to regular weekends.
2) Heineken's total beer sales achieved a 29.5% year-over-year growth compared to 2023.
3) Outperformed major competitor (Budweiser) in on-trade channel conversion.

URL 1 :

http://t.cn/A6HKl6pD

URL 2 :

http://t.cn/A6QZQi8c