Heineken was set to launch limited-edition packaging for the key holiday-selling season. The design served as a gifting cue, with festively wrapped boxes incorporated into the pattern. But generating attention for the brand’s holiday bottles and positioning Heineken as the perfect present for beer lovers in your life would be no easy task. Particularly when every beer brand on the store shelves would also be sporting special packaging and the beverage conversation around holiday gatherings tends to focus on wine and spirits. So, how could we spread cheer over holiday beers and make Heineken the go-to brew for elevating and celebrating the season? We spotted a real-time opportunity in the headlines dominating the news and set out to find a relevant way to insert Heineken into a trending topic.

First it was toilet paper. Then it was computer chips. Finally, global traffic jams, labor shortages and scarce materials brewed up a perfect storm. As COVID continued in 2021, the supply chain disruptions seemed endless, and as the holidays approached, many feared the gifts they thoughtfully selected for their friends and family wouldn’t arrive in time.

So, when empty store shelves and shipping issues turned holiday gifting into a major source of frustration…Heineken delivered. Introducing the perfect placeholder gift: The Heineken IOU. Playing off the familiar shorthand for “I Owe You,” the packages were available on-demand for anyone out of luck because their gift was out of stock. And same-day courier delivery made sure even the biggest procrastinators wouldn’t have to show up to a holiday party empty-handed.

In order to insert Heineken into a relevant cultural conversation, we needed to understand the mindset of our 21- to 35-year-old target audience, assess the current climate, and prepare to move before the moment passed. Research showed that despite warnings, a majority of American consumers did not plan to finish their holiday shopping before the end of November. And with out-of-stock messages up more than 170 percent, shoppers nationwide were facing the challenge of finding the right gift for their loved ones.

We set out to leverage relatable, timely truths that would resonate with consumers: the lagging supply chain was creating gifting mayhem. So, how could Heineken provide a refreshing solution to help save the day and put the brand at the center of holiday drinking occasions?

No gift? No problem. As a placeholder, the Heineken IOU promised the recipient they’ll get their real present when it finally arrives. The packs were available for free online with proof of consumers’ delayed package notification. Each Heineken IOU came with money to fill it with six Heineken holiday bottles, a gift message to personalize and a premium holiday gift box ready to wrap. Boxes were available in key markets and were delivered same-day in order to help gift givers spread holiday cheer, even if their real gift didn’t arrive on time.

Media relations efforts, social media content and support from influencer partners flooded the feeds of our target audience in consistent pulses throughout December with a CTA driving them to the Heineken IOU landing page for a chance to claim one via instant-win sweepstakes.

Sales of Heineken® Original grew +4 points in December, reaching its highest share point over the past two years. The boost was fueled by more than 118 million impressions across earned media, social media, and influencer partners. Heineken claimed the #1 share of voice among beer brands during the holiday season, outpacing activations from competitors including Budweiser, Miller Lite and Miller High Life. And 100 percent of media stories included messaging about the activation, noting that “Heineken has got you covered.”

The activation generated more than 107,000 consumer engagements, topping benchmarks by 18 percent. Overall sentiment was 92 percent positive or neutral, not something that’s easy to achieve in our current social media climate. All of this attention resulted in 30,000 visits to HeinekenIOU.com and more than 15,000 submitted entries.

As one happy recipient exclaimed on Twitter: “Definitely the best Christmas gift my wife has ever given me!”