However, the brewer took things to another level by buying the Vegas title sponsorship position, which marks the first time that Heineken has been title sponsor of a U.S. F1 race. The deal is for multiple years, and Heineken is paying F1 more than $15 million annually for it, SBJ previously reported. The F1 Vegas strategy is a key part of the company’s bid to have millions of people sample Silver this year and next year, according to Frank Amorese, Heineken USA’s VP/Media & Partnerships, who described Silver as Heineken’s No. 1 priority as a company globally. Silver branding, retail displays and products for sale are all throughout Las Vegas, including when out-of-town visitors get off their airplanes at Harry Reid International Airport and at bars lining the Strip. Moreover, Heineken is one of the brands getting ad inventory this weekend on MSG Co.’s Sphere with a disco ball-looking graphic that turns into a cooler for beers. The company has had over 100 people involved in setting up its title sponsorship, including multiple agencies, international Heineken employees and Vegas locals who work for the company and know the area and its distributors deeply.
Amorese: “All the other race titles, it’ll be the Heineken race in Mexico, Brazil or the Netherlands — it’s always Heineken. This is specifically Heineken Silver, and it does two things: No. 1, it helps get the name recognition out there, but No. 2, it’s also a message to our business partners of, ‘This is how seriously we’re taking this.’”
DUTCH MASTER: The activation strategy starts with sampling: “Just getting as many beers in hand as we possibly can, getting people to try it [is paramount],” Amorese said. That will include hundreds of points of distribution at the circuit for fans to purchase beer, plus street teams going around town giving out free full-sized cans as samples where it can legally. It will also have a ticketed Heineken House hospitality experience in the South Koval Zone where it will have free samples and musical entertainment among other features. Fans were able to purchase three-day tickets to the three-level club for $8,000, with track views, all-inclusive F&B and live DJs/music. About 3,000 people will be attending. The company has used its Heineken House concept at other events like Coachella, where it’s not ticketed and anyone in attendance can go. Global CEO Dolf van den Brink is expected to be in attendance this weekend among other company executives, but the majority of Heineken’s hospitality guests will be its U.S. business partners like beer distributors, such as its Vegas partner, Breakthrough Beverage Nevada. Amorese: “The people who help us sell, they’ve been to everything, they’ve been to 10 Super Bowls. But they’ve never been to this before. So this is a really cool unique opportunity to give them this experience for the first time.”
MORE BEER: Key to whether the deal is successful, according to Amorese, starts with the pure amount of beer that is sold at the event, and how much in-store activation and retail distribution is driven through it with custom point-of-sale placards and giveaways. From there, Heineken is interested in brand awareness, PR impressions, the number of samples handed out and feedback from guests. As far as agencies, Heineken set up this title sponsorship with Corso Marketing Group (U.S. activation), Fury Design Agency (global F1 consulting), Rogers & Cowan PMK (celebrity relations) and Dentsu (media). Competitors of Heineken in the sport include Anheuser-Busch, which deploys its Michelob Ultra brand in F1 and has a team deal with Williams Racing. Heineken plans to spend another $100M on marketing around Silver next year.
