Operational review continued
International marketing
With Heineken now available in almost every country in the world, Heineken is literally the only beer brand in the world that can develop and deliver major international marketing initiatives with such authority and credibility. In 2007, we again used this credibility as a way to clearly differentiate the Heineken brand from its competitors and as a way to bring the brand alive for consumers and trade partners.
‘One World, One Cup, One Beer’ was the motto for the fully-integrated campaign for the 2007 Rugby World Cup held in France. Throughout the seven weeks of competition, Heineken had a massive presence around the stadia, the tournament and in the world’s media. We also entertained 8,000 guests, including consumers and trade partners from more than 30 markets.
The Heineken brand's UEFA Champions League (UCL) sponsorship also leveraged the credibility and authority of the brand. The programme was supported by centrally developed international commercials and break bumpers, on air in 156 countries, as well as consistent communication material and trade support programmes. At the tournament final in Athens, the culmination of more than nine months of in-market activity, we broke our own record for guests at a single event when we hosted more than 1,100 guests from around the world. The first UCL Trophy Tour to Asia saw over 50,000 consumers have their picture taken with the trophy and attracted a TV audience of more than 200 million people.
However, we do not solely strategically promote the brand. Over the last few years, we have been building a reputation for innovative use of film as a way of reaching our target consumers. With ‘The Matrix’ and ‘James Bond’ franchises already a part of this approach, in 2007 we again sought a high-profile opportunity to continue the success. We chose ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, which we successfully integrated into our global marketing campaigns. Music also remains a key sponsorship area for the Heineken brand with more than 100 Heineken supported or sponsored large music events worldwide, including our global music event ‘Thirst Studio’.