Heineken closed its original Amsterdam brewery in the De Pijp district in 1988, turning it into a museum with a drink-as-much-as-you-want tours on offer. In 2008, the museum was reinvented as the Heineken Experience – a beer-infused amusement park if you will and a must-do item on very many tourist itineraries.
Heineken is also one of the world’s most enthusiastic explorers of creative technology. So when it asked J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam to create an advertising campaign for its Experience, that was never going to be a standard OOH and online video affair.
It’s a GPS enabled bottle that launches a treasure hunt, its treasure chest being the entry to the Experience.
Heineken bottles have been secretly fitted with a GPS system and randomly placed around the city. When they are picked up, they guide their unsuspecting holders through various locations and ultimately to the Heineken Experience. The GPS bottles have a built-in compass mechanism. Once the visitor starts walking, the bottle vibrates, the cap lights up red and swivels to point out the route to follow – with all roads leading to the Heineken Experience.
Dirk Lubbers, manager, Heineken Experience noted, “Handing out flyers is not very Heineken, so we wanted to play on the brand’s famous inventiveness, wit and pioneering spirit and create something that stands out for potential visitors. Last year the Heineken Experience attracted over 730,000 people, a record. With our new GPS enabled bottles we are confident that we will be able to attract even more this year.
“Our key differentiator is that we invite each visitor on a cultural and historical journey, enabling them to interact with the brand. This initiative is a great representation of our approach: innovative, dynamic, surprising and always leaving you with unforgettable memories.”
Bas Korsten, executive creative director, J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam explained, “Our creative challenge was to elevate everything that the Heineken Experience stands for: allowing beer lovers to experience the brand’s heritage in a fun and unexpected way. It was extremely important to us to make sure that the look and feel of the bottle stays true to the original, while implementing innovative technology and ensuring it a fun user experience. With experiments like this, you only get one chance to get things right.”
Campaign credits: CREATIVE
Creative agency: J.Walter Thompson Amsterdam
Executive creative director: Bas Korsten
Creative director: Ferran Lopez
Senior art director: Guney Soykan
Strategy director: Agustin Soriano
Creative technologist: Emmanuel Flores
Digital director: Jesse Houweling
Executive producer: Wendy Losse
BOTTLE PRODUCTION
Hardware production: Antti Kupila
3D modeling and product design: Ernst Koning
3D Printing: RP2, Printed in Space
Printing: Gradience
FILM AND EVENT PRODUCTION
Film production: Oxford House Amsterdam
Editing: Oxford House Amsterdam
Sound design: Soundwise
Animation: Cicero Productions, Magic Bullet
