2021 started with great news for social life, bars and clubs everywhere: a vaccine had been approved! This means the 2021 summer would be a banger, right?

Wrong.

While the most vulnerable were taking the first shots, a growing antivaxx community became louder and more aggressive in spreading misinformation and paranoia. By the time it was the young’s turn for the vaccine, 40% of gen z and millennials became undecided. They wanted to “wait and see”. Government pro-vax communication was bland and ineffective and global brands avoided as much as possible in taking a side.

Not Heineken.

Summer 2021 will be awesome. For the vaccinated.

Research from George Washington University showed how fake news can gain the upper hand in the online battle for the truth. The research team mapped conversations on Facebook about vaccines between 100m people around the world. They found that there was always a group of undecided users (like the ones not sure, the communities of pets lovers, parents groups, organic blueberry lovers) that could tip the balance one way or the other. Undecided users, however, were very prone to influence. They became completely engulfed by the anti-vaxxers views, because theirs were the most passionate voices out there.

Research has found that online exposure to misinformation about a covid 19 vaccine may significantly affect the intent to take one. There was a real danger out there: anti-vaxxer content could become the predominant view if no one is speaking out.

We see a typical summer night out in the club. But we discover it’s not full of young people, but of senior citizens (some of them influencers) who are having the time of their lives, dancing to a club cover of “you Make Me feel” by Sylvester. They invite the young to take the vaccine and join them: in videos long and short, in gifs, in memes, IG posts or on Spotify with summer playlists curated by senior DJs.

Antivaxxers made #boycottHeineken trend on twitter, which actually made it visible for the Pro-vaxxers, who took over thehashtag, and defended Heineken’s global stand for vaccination.

64% of under 27 said they would vaccinate after seeing the campaign.

International news outlets positively covered the campaign, praising the brand. The campaign gathered over 10 million views across social channels and free PR, all this without one euro spent on media, resulting in 4 millions of earned media. The Australian, South African and Dutch governments have written letters of appraisal for the campaign.

60% of all social conversations had a positive sentiment towards the campaign’s call to action.