To bring more value to generation Z consumers and shift perceptions of its brand being for premium occasions, Heineken Silver created a gamified omni-channel campaign in which consumers could mine eKoin — the brand's proprietary digital currency — to be redeemed for prizes and experiences.
Objective
2023 was a rough year with a great recession followed by a great "resignation." Total economic growth was halted to 6.3 percent in 2023 from 8 percent in 2022. More than 500,000 people lost their jobs and the Vietnamese dong lost almost 10 percent of its value (McKinsey, 2023).
In this environment, buying beer was a luxury and not on top of consumers' shopping lists. Even during a traditionally busy part of the year, sales declined by almost 30 percent compared to the same period last month. Moreover, younger generations, especially generation Z, saw Heineken Silver as a beer for premium occasions.
Heineken Silver's challenge was to create more value for drinkers while reverting its sales decline. It also wanted to combat the idea that the brand was a beer for special occasions.
Context
Launched in 2022, eKoin is Vietnam's first-in-market digital currency offering generation Z Heineken consumers experiences beyond beer. It immediately allowed Heineken to start making inroads with a younger audience. Thus, the brand figured it was a perfect strategic weapon to create more value in 2023.
Target Audience
The target audience for Heineken's campaign were generation Z Vietnamese consumers who felt suffocated by the traditional premium conventions and special "stuffy" occasions. These are drinkers who seek more value in everything they buy.
Creative and Media Strategy
Research showed that generation Z engaged with brands in ways that connect the physical and virtual world. One example of this was the massive adoption and growth of digital currencies and crypto wallets. Indeed, crypto currency's adoption grew by an astonishing 27 percent and digital payments grew by 32 percent year-over year.
In a year when every other currency dropped in value, Heineken reintroduced its eKoins, which came with rewards. Unlike other digital currencies, which were panic, sold this one wasn't prone to fluctuation, theft, or Elon Musk's most recent tweet. The digital currency offered value beyond beer. It offered unconventional experiences.
Heineken Silver launched a mobile-first omnichannel campaign that not only created a massive wave of beer purchases, but also brought to life its modern premium, smooth credentials.
To amplify the program, Heineken recruited a team of Vietnam's most influential and smoothest stars — a collective it called The Silver Smooth Gang — to play a central role in the campaign.
Heineken launched the program with a series of hero videos, featuring the Smooth Gang, inviting drinkers to escape stuffy situations with limited edition "Smooth Gear" drops. This drove organic traffic to the eKoin Hub — a platform developed to create ongoing eKoin mining engagement with Heineken's audience through a simple QR scan. To create massive hype and buzz, Heineken enabled consumers to redeem eKoin for prizes, including Smooth Gear releases and a designer VR headset offering generation Z consumers an escape from reality.
What's more, Heineken implemented leaderboard tactics to encourage healthy competition in capturing eKoin. The approach created a sense of FOMO and promoted repeat engagement and urgency to collect eKoin. The brand also worked with influencers and PR partners to provide live leaderboard updates, notify audiences of new drops, and drive awareness of the Hub. This created a constant stream of traffic that made sure Heineken's campaign maintained momentum throughout.
The re-launch of Heineken Silver's eKoin platform helped the brand capture the generation Z audience, provide more brand value, and reverse declines in sales volume. The program also helped the brand shift perceptions about the brand being a more premium beverage for special occasions.
Campaign results included:
