Heineken is a premium, international and very loved brand.

However, Gen Z doesn't share this feeling.

When it comes to socialization, they are more into games than they are into beer.

So could a 150-years-old beer brand become part of their world?

Well, Heineken tapped into gaming culture to bring a solution for their biggest issue: overheating.

In order to solve this issue Heineken used its expertise in liquid cooling

to guarantee gaming socializing.

We create a CPU fridge that cools the beer and doesn't overheat for gamers to socialize.

Heineken is all about socializing. It's in the brand's DNA. For centuries, socializing has always taken

place where beer was the center of attention: in bars around the world. And now, those moments

also take place in the gaming world.

Gaming has grown to become the biggest social place for people to meet and have fun, especially among

youngsters.

Today, Gen Z makes up around a third of the global population, and their interest in gaming is

undeniable. In fact, according to Deloitte, 87% of them said they play video games every week.

For Gen Z, being a gamer goes far beyond the hours spent playing. It's a lifestyle, an identity with its own

unique ways of speaking, acting, and self-expression. Customizing their PC, participating in discussion

forums, watching live streams, and interacting with streamers are as important as playing the game itself.

Heineken is all about elevating quality socializing and fighting against barriers to socialization. If we do

that for all other generations, we need to do the same for gen z.

Games are their bars, the places where they socialize, so we had to create something relevant

connecting Heineken & socializing through gaming.

Distributed in over 190 countries, Heineken is a premium, international and very popular beer.

However, Gen Z doesn't share this feeling.

They drink less alcohol than other generations.

This poses a challenge for Heineken, exacerbated by the fact that even among those who still drink,

about 50% of them do not choose beer as their favorite beverage. According to Knit, they prefer liquors,

spritz, and flavored malt beverages.

More than ever, Heineken as an iconic brand needed to forge a genuine connection with them to

be relevant in this new alcohol consumption landscape.

The problem: Gen z doesn’t connect with Heineken because we are a beer brand.

If Gen Z is more into games than into beer, we delved into gaming culture to understand how Heineken

could tap into this universe to engage with them.

The truth: CPU customization is the topic they love the most and the biggest desire of gamers.

What if we build something using our expertise?

PCs are where gamers express themselves and showcase what kind of gamers they are. It's one of the

most discussed topics. With 66.8% of gamers considering the CPU the most crucial item for their gaming

experience, cooling becomes crucial (PBG).

One of the worst things is when the computer overheats. An issue that also happens with Heineken.

Common enemy: the overheating.

Insight: just as computers dislike overheating, so do beers.

We decided to attack an enemy that both Heineken and gamers share.

Opportunity: if games are like bars for gen z, overheating is a huge barrier of socialization.

Tapping into this serious overheating issue, Heineken created its own CPU.

THE GAMING FRIDGE, an ultimate customized gaming PC that is also a Heineken fridge.

A high-performance hardware, cool leds, cool design, cool beers, no overheating at all and a lot of

socializing.

It was about getting into the gaming community in a genuine way that would build desire around the

brand.

Before the launch, we leaked the Fridge prototype. Taking over the gaming communities, we

dominate forum communities and livestreams.

Gamers got crazy.

The gaming community quickly spread the news, and to amplify, the fridge made its debut on Twitch

through the world's largest streamer: Gaulês.

We not only made ourselves relevant in the gaming universe, but we also truly enhanced it, valuing

gaming as a moment to socialize with a cold Heineken.

In developing The Gaming Fridge, our aim was to create something truly unique — a custom setup

unlike anything gamers had seen before, inspired by the culture of computer modification and destined to

become every gamer's dream.

The response was immediate and global, with gamers worldwide expressing their desire for the fridges.

So, we launched 50 limited editions across 9 countries: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Spain,

Netherlands, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States.

The Gaming Fridge even became a trophy for the League of Legends Finals MVP in Brazil, the

biggest LOL championship in the world, solidifying its status as the most desired gaming gadget on the

internet. It's no wonder people flooded Heineken's social media channels with requests for the product to

be made available for purchase so that more people could get their hands on it.

Heineken found a way to be truly relevant.

The Gaming Fridge impacted over 340 million gamers worldwide. With such an innovative launch, we

accomplished over 25 million dollars in earned media.

Not only did we get closer to genZ, we achieved the highest Brand Power in Heineken history with this

audience, with an average growth rate of 10%. This was only possible because, according to Kantar, we

also achieved the highest level of differentiation in the brand's history.

Because of all of that, It's official;ve become the beer brand most associated with gaming,

according to PBG 24.

Yeah, making Heineken part of the gaming world has become one of the coolest recent innovations for

gamers. Literally.

The Gaming Fridge was born from the pulse of the gaming community. From the culture of computer

modification to crafting a setup tailored to gamers' needs, and from the fridge design to the

communication strategy behind the launch.

Not only did we address a relevant problem for gamers, CPU overheating, but we did so with a

comprehensive and contextualized narrative across all touchpoints. The Gaming Fridge itself is an

engaging novelty, but the leak of images on Reddit and the amplification by streamers and livestreams

were essential in making it the most desired gaming gadget on the internet.

The innovative elements of The Gaming Fridge include:

1. The creation of The Gaming Fridge, a unique setup that combines a high-performance

gaming PC with a Heineken fridge, catering to the needs and preferences of gamers to address

the primary challenge in high-performance CPUs: overheating.

2. The strategic use of social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitch to generate buzz and

anticipation for the product launch. By leaking images of the prototype on Reddit and partnering

with influential streamers like Gaulês on Twitch, Heineken effectively engaged with the gaming

community and maximized exposure.

3. The limited edition launch across nine countries demonstrated a global approach to

marketing and product distribution, reaching a wide audience of gamers worldwide.

Overall, these innovative elements contributed to the success of the campaign and the

widespread recognition of The Gaming Fridge as a desirable gaming gadget.