• Situation: Chinese football fans are deeply biased, believing that female fans are not real fans.

• Brief: Help Heineken stand for diversity and inclusion by helping to transform soccer into a sport that transcends gender boundaries.

• Objectives: Dismantle the entrenched stereotypes in the fan community, and show that Heineken is an inclusive beer that celebrates every football fan in China.

Aware of trending artificial intelligence (AI) among Chinese netizens, and their tendency to trust what AI says, we saw an opportunity. We introduced H*AI, an AI Intelligence that could answer any UEFA-related question: Who clinched the second most championships in UEFA? Who was the top scorer of the 2023 UEFA league? Once everyone was convinced that Heineken had built a successful UEFA-centric AI due to it being put to the ultimate test before football giants like Thierry Henry, we revealed the truth. H*AI was not powered by artificial intelligence, but by very human, female intelligence - a group of highly knowledgeable super fans who happened to be women.

Male football fans frequently take pride in showing off their knowledge of the “beautiful game”, especially regarding players and iconic matches. They idolize players, esteemed male pundits, and commentators, bestowing significant trust in their football insights. They even follow these influencers on social media to stay abreast of all things about football. At the same time, they harbor a stereotypical perception of female fans, dismissing them as 'fake fans' with no real knowledge of the game or its history.

Our aim was to dismantle these entrenched stereotypes within the fan community, delivering an unexpected revelation that will profoundly alter their views of female fans. This shift was driven by endorsements from our male football influencers on social media, so that we know it will get before male fans.

This campaign was 10 days long, end-to-end. We unveiled H*AI on 2 June with an invitation to watch tomorrow’s video, starring football icon, Thierry Henry. The next day, a video of Henry testing H*AI was published across socials, followed by more videos featuring three of China's top football influencers testing H*AI - a former player, commentator, and superfan. Next, H*AI was released to all on Douyin livestream.

Fans were invited to stay tuned during the final UEFA game, on 10 June. As everyone waited for the game, we released the big reveal - H*AI was powered by four female football aficionados. Vignettes of their personal journeys and the reactions of Henry and the influencers were unveiled in what can be described as a true cultural moment and a breakthrough, in front of 300 million fans.

Our dramatic reveal instantly went viral on major Chinese social networks before the final game. It also got:

- 77 million social media impressions

- Sparking 182,000 discussions about football equality

- 1.99 billion earned impressions

Notably, it boosted Heineken's association with football among women by 14% and reached a new high of 93% in football association among females, surpassing male demographics. This campaign not only captured widespread attention but also resonated deeply with female football fans.