Heineken unveils campaign for the launch of Heineken 3 via Red Agency

Heineken has unveiled its latest innovation, Heineken 3, which has signalled the start of the first phase of Heineken’s biggest ever Australian marketing campaign, that is set to roll out over the next 18 months via Red Agency, Holler and Momentum Worldwide.

The product launch is the first that Heineken has released in Australia since Heineken first arrived. It will be supported by a high-impact nationwide campaign with the aim of establishing the brand into the Australian market and drive trial for consumers. Australia will also be the first market globally to launch the Heineken 3 brand.

The launch seeks to capitalise on the growing demand for premium mid-strength beer, with Heineken identifying huge growth potential among occasional beer drinkers across Australia. Heineken has also analysed data and insights from Australian consumers to identify opportunities to leverage spontaneous, easy-drinking, mid-energy and mid-afternoon consumption occasions. This will form a major part of Heineken’s strategy to enable the brand to access more drinkers in more occasions.

Heineken 3 enables consumers to “Have It All’. This is communicated through the product’s three key attributes: lower calories, lower carbohydrates and an award-winning great taste. The latter is supported by award-winning success at the World Beer Championships as best Lower Calorie lager in 2013 & 2014 and a Gold Medal at the 2015 European Beer Star Awards for best German Style Liechtbier.  Heineken 3 has only 86 calories per bottle, 5g carbs and 3.3% ABV so consumers no longer have to compromise on taste and premium experience when choosing a lower calorie beer.

Heineken 3 has also proved extremely popular in early consumer trials in Australia. Heineken believes this will provide a platform to grow the premium mid-strength category in the coming months and leverage ongoing consumer trends around premiumisation and moderation

Furthermore researches have shown that Heineken 3 is a product highly appealing not just to its traditional core target male audience but it’s also an opportunity to recruit more female consumers, particularly among those who want an easier drinking and lower calorie lager.

Says Andrew Campbell, Managing Director at Heineken, Lion Australia: “We have big plans for the Heineken 3 brand here in Australia and this is supported by the significant investment we have put behind our launch and marketing campaign. We believe it will shake up the market with its compelling offering, quality and great taste. Consumers want brands and products that complement their modern, active and spontaneous lifestyles without compromising on taste or quality. This is exactly what consumers can expect from Heineken 3, a great tasting lower calorie beer brewed to the same world famous quality and standards as Heineken.”

The marketing campaign will be led by PR and experiential activity, with a spectacular launch held in Sydney to coincide with its debut on to shelves in retail stores and in bars across Australia. The launch event enabled Australians to embrace the Heineken 3 philosophy of ‘having it all’ by creating an iconic Australian summer experience in the last week of winter to the delight of the hundreds that attended throughout the two-day launch party.

Social, digital, outdoor, retail and experiential activations will heavily feature throughout the campaign, with the primary target being inner city consumers. As part of its commitment to meet more shopper needs, Heineken will introduce a number of pack sizes to retail stores including regular six and 24 packs along with a new 12 pack, to answer the necessity of smaller and more convenient formats which play a role in more occasions.

Says Campbell: “In Australia, Heineken has a reputation for delivering innovative and impactful campaigns to market. With Heineken 3, we are continuing to deliver on this through product innovation and providing engaging experiences that build awareness and encourage trial in a responsible way. This is in line with our global commitment to promoting moderate drinking and encouraging consumers to enjoy Heineken responsibly.”

The campaign will continue to build in the lead up to summer with further details to follow in the coming weeks.

Experiential (on-premise and retail): Momentum Worldwide