Heineken is perhaps one of the most creative brands around. Through the years, its campaigns have been consistently innovative and relevant to consumers. It also holds the reputation of being a sustainably conscious brand – as per Heineken’s sustainability report for 2014, Heineken has saved €75 million ($83.8 million) by using less energy and water in its breweries over the last six years.
Now, as part of their Brewing a Better World Program , Heineken has teamed up with augmented reality smartphone app Blippar for its new campaign called Legendary 7 – the story of 7 farmers from France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom from whom Heineken sources its high-quality sustainable barley and hops.
People can use the Blippar app to scan the label on a Heineken bottle and get access to the stories of each of the 7 farmers, along with more information on Heineken’s sustainability commitments.
People can also use the app to create their own selfies – called 7elfies – and upload them on social media.
Engaging consumers in the sustainability story
With 160 breweries in over 70 countries, Heineken has increasingly prioritized sustainable business practices over the years. One of the priorities includes buying 50% of its main raw materials from sustainable sources by 2020. That’s where the Legendary 7 come in. By sharing the stories of these 7 sustainable farmers, Heineken is applauding their behavior and also highlighting its sustainable practices in a way that is friendly to its customers.
“Sustainability is often seen to be complex and inaccessible for consumers. However, sustainability is at the heart of all that we do and we wanted to find a way to encourage consumers and all our stakeholders to easily engage with HEINEKEN’s Brewing a Better World programme. Legendary 7 challenges the status quo of sustainability reporting and helps consumers appreciate the sustainability thinking and all natural ingredients which go into the creation of their favourite brand.”
Mark van Iterson, Global Head of Design for Heineken
Millennials are the most sustainability-conscious generation yet – they want to be associated with companies that care about their business’s impact on the environment and society. According to our survey of 8,000 Millennials in 16 countries, 79% wish it were easier to know which companies were doing good (The Future of Business Citizenship). Other generations are conscious too – according to a Neilsen study from June 2014, 55% of global consumers surveyed said they’re willing to pay for products and services that were responsibly sourced – that’s a 10% increase over three years.
With Legendary 7, Heineken is breaking down the complex business of sustainability and making it simple, accessible and transparent for people.