Heineken - Shutter Ads
Heineken approached Publicis Italy. The client wanted to support its struggling bar partners during prolonged COVID-19 closures, which severely impacted their livelihoods and community spirit. The brand needed a way to alleviate financial strain for bar owners and spread hope about reopening, while maintaining its positive connection to social gatherings. The desired outcome was to demonstrate empathy and reinforce brand loyalty.
Creative Idea
Heineken turned closed bar shutters into ad space, financially supporting owners and signaling a hopeful return.
Heineken bought ad space on closed bar shutters in Barcelona during the pandemic to help small business owners financially and spread hope. By placing positive messages on shutters, the brand transformed unused spaces into meaningful communication that supported local bars and kept their spirit alive.
Buying The Media Space That Nobody Wanted
A Lifeline Worth 7.5 Million Euros
While Heineken faced a 70% revenue drop during the pandemic, the brand pivoted its traditional Out-of-Home (OOH) strategy. Typically, 10% of the global media budget is spent on billboards and bus stops, but with streets empty, these assets were worthless. By shifting that spend to "buy" the shutters of 5,000 bars worldwide, Heineken redistributed €7.5 million directly to struggling owners. This decentralized media network proved more effective than traditional routes, generating 40% more media value than standard OOH placements.
The Symbiosis of Bespoke Design
The production, led by Publicis Italy and Publicis Le Pub, involved a massive logistical undertaking across markets like Argentina, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, and Spain. Each bar received a custom-designed ad tailored to its specific storefront. Messages like "See this ad today, enjoy this bar tomorrow" were not just slogans but financial contracts. Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Executive Creative Director, and Bruno Bertelli, Global CCO, focused on "cultural resonance" to ensure the brand remained top-of-mind while its primary sales channel was dark.
A 100 Percent Survival Rate
The initiative created a "beer-and-bar symbiosis" that transcended competition. The model was so successful that rivals like Guinness and Paulaner adopted similar tactics. The most significant metric of the campaign’s success was the human impact: 100% of the bars that participated in the Shutter Ads program successfully reopened once lockdowns were lifted. It remains a definitive case study in "Brand Purpose," proving that direct financial intervention can be more powerful than traditional PR.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Heineken possesses a massive global media budget and a deep, symbiotic relationship with the bars that serve as their primary point of sale. They had the financial capacity to pivot traditional OOH spending into direct, localized business subsidies.
Category
Beer brands typically compete for high-traffic billboard placements and lifestyle-driven 'refreshment' messaging. During the pandemic, many brands defaulted to generic, sentimental video messages rather than providing tangible utility to their distribution partners.
Customer
Bar owners felt financially abandoned and invisible, while local patrons experienced a sense of grief seeing their vibrant neighborhoods boarded up and desolate. Both groups craved a sign that their social hubs would survive the lockdown.
Culture
The pandemic accelerated a 'support local' movement where consumers demanded brands take concrete action. The physical shuttering of bars became a haunting visual symbol of the economic and social toll of the global health crisis.
Company
Heineken possesses a massive global media budget and a deep, symbiotic relationship with the bars that serve as their primary point of sale. They had the financial capacity to pivot traditional OOH spending into direct, localized business subsidies.
Category
Beer brands typically compete for high-traffic billboard placements and lifestyle-driven 'refreshment' messaging. During the pandemic, many brands defaulted to generic, sentimental video messages rather than providing tangible utility to their distribution partners.
Strategy:
Transform traditional OOH budgets into direct bar subsidies to turn shuttered storefronts into symbols of community resilience.
Customer
Bar owners felt financially abandoned and invisible, while local patrons experienced a sense of grief seeing their vibrant neighborhoods boarded up and desolate. Both groups craved a sign that their social hubs would survive the lockdown.
Culture
The pandemic accelerated a 'support local' movement where consumers demanded brands take concrete action. The physical shuttering of bars became a haunting visual symbol of the economic and social toll of the global health crisis.
Strategy:
Transform traditional OOH budgets into direct bar subsidies to turn shuttered storefronts into symbols of community resilience.
Results
One of the hardest things for Mirjana Vukasinovic (owner of Fastnet, Barcelona) was to see her bar shut and doors closed. News reports indicated that about 60% of closed businesses wouldn't be reopening, and experts predicted it could take 4 to 5 years to recover. Heineken redirected its media investment from traditional outdoor media spaces, which typically receive 10% of its global media budget. The "Shutter Ads" initiative involved over 5,000 bars around the world, transforming them into a new sustainable media buying platform. The campaign achieved 40% more media value than traditional Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising. A total of 7.5M € went directly to the participating bars. Critically, 100% of the bars involved in the initiative reopened. The campaign also saw other Heineken brands, such as Cruzcampo and Amstel, join in, and even competitors like Guinness participated.
100%
of bars in initiative reopened
7.5M€
went directly to bars
40%
more media value than traditional OOH
Strategy Technique
Give People a Badge
Heineken gave closed bars a visible badge of recognition and solidarity during the pandemic. By turning their shutters into ad space with positive messages, each bar became a proud symbol of resilience - wearing Heineken's support as a mark of honor that signaled to the community they would return.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Reverse Expectations
Heineken transformed closed bar shutters, symbols of economic hardship, into canvases of hope and financial support. This reversed the negative expectations associated with these spaces during the pandemic.
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Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional for ingeniously transforming a crisis into a direct support system for businesses, turning their closed shutters into powerful advertising real estate, thereby demonstrating genuine brand purpose through innovative media strategy.
The creative transformation of dull, closed bar shutters into vibrant, branded advertising canvases is visually impactful and directly communicates the campaign's message of hope and support.
The localized and empathetic slogans used on the 'Shutter Ads' effectively convert static spaces into dynamic messages of solidarity, resonating deeply with both bar owners and the public.
