HEINEKEN invites young adults to "Dance More, Drink Slow" in new global campaign to make drinking in moderation cool

Jan 7, 2014 8:30 AM ET

Amsterdam, January 7, 2014 /3BL Media/ – HEINEKEN yesterday announced it has teamed up with world famous DJ, Armin Van Buuren, for a pioneering campaign that reaches young adults when they are drinking on and around the dancefloor. The global campaign, called “Dance More, Drink Slow”, delivers a powerful responsible drinking message in a new, compelling way. It focuses on making moderate drinking an aspirational behaviour when enjoying a night out, highlighting the importance of staying in control.   

At the centre of the ‘Dance More, Drink Slow’ campaign is a new Armin van Buuren track called “Save my Night”, which encourages and celebrates moderation during a night out. Available in 42 countries, fans can access the track via http://bit.ly/SaveMyNight_SP

In 2011, the company launched ‘Sunrise’, a campaign which brought to life the powerful idea that there are no limits, when you know your limits. It highlighted that by enjoying Heineken in moderation, Heineken’s ‘Man of the World’ has the opportunity to engage with friends, meet new people and explore new experiences. ‘Dance More, Drink Slow’ now takes this message to a new level.

The new campaign builds on this long standing commitment to the ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ message which has been seen across the world since 2004 through Heineken’s sponsorships platforms such as UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup and hundreds of music events. The messaging also appears on hundreds of millions of bottles and cans annually.   

Alexis Nasard, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Western Europe at HEINEKEN, said; “As an industry leader, HEINEKEN wants to contribute to the positive role of beer in society, by making moderation aspirational for consumers. We believe that we can be more effective in making positive behaviour aspirational by utilising our creativity and tackling the issue of abuse in an engaging and relevant way". 

Gianluca Di Tondo, Senior Director Global Heineken Brand at HEINEKEN, commented; “For us, ‘Dance More, Drink Slow’ is an opportunity to create a moderation movement – a fresh look at how we approach the single most difficult issue that affects our industry today.   Collaborating with Armin Van Buuren - another iconic Dutch brand – to create “Save My Night” sends a clear message to consumers that they can enjoy themselves, while also remaining in control.”

The ‘Dance More, Drink Slow’ campaign will also be brought to life through “The Experiment”, a film featuring Armin van Buuren.  The social experiment focuses on two separate nights out in the same club with the only difference being the DJ. The film demonstrates the influence a DJ has on consumers to change their behavior to dance more and consequently drink slow. “The Experiment” assesses the exciting possibilities that naturally occur on a night out when drinking responsibly and is available here: http://youtu.be/WRup4Xk7uKE

Says Armin van Buuren, “When I play a DJ set to thousands of music lovers, I want them to enjoy the moment, to remember it after the night has finished. This means consuming alcohol in moderation, so that the moment is not lost.

The reason I have partnered with Heineken on ‘Dance More, Drink Slow’ is because we have a fantastic opportunity, and responsibility, to connect better with our audience and affect behavior change. Drinking responsibly is an important issue and being able to use music, specifically the “Save my Night” track, to innovatively deliver that message directly to fans on the dance floor is unique.”

The campaign will be rolled out in more than 20 countries and will be supported by a series of integrated experiential activities targeting young adults during their nights out.

Quick Facts:

* The Experiment film shot on location in Miami and directed by Philip Andelman, who has also  directed music videos for artist/clients such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, NFL, American Express, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, the Gossip, the Jonas Brothers and  Duck Sauce.

* The Experiment was filmed in a nightclub over two separate nights and all the party-goers in the film were regular young adults on a night out. Although the party go-ers were different across the two nights and were unaware of the filming, all other variables were exactly the same.

* In order to calculate drink consumption across the two nights, there was a camera trained in on the bar area and this was carefully monitored by the Heineken team through-out both nights.

* The campaign was developed by leading advertising agency Publicis Worldwide

* For more information about HEINEKEN’s Enjoy Heineken Responsibly campaign, please visit: http://www.theheinekencompany.com/media/features/dance-more-drink-slow

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Editorial information:

About HEINEKEN:
HEINEKEN is a proud, independent global brewer committed to surprise and excite consumers with its brands and products everywhere. The brand that bears the founder's family name - Heineken® - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world's most valuable international premium beer brand. The Company's aim is to be a leading brewer in each of the markets in which it operates and to have the world's most valuable brand portfolio. HEINEKEN wants to win in all markets with Heineken® and with a full brand portfolio in markets of choice. The Company is present in over 70 countries and operates more than 165 breweries. HEINEKEN is Europe's largest brewer and the world's third largest by volume. HEINEKEN is committed to the responsible marketing and consumption of its more than 250 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders.

These include Heineken®, Amstel, Anchor, Biere Larue, Bintang, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Desperados, Dos Equis, Foster's, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota, Primus, Sagres, Sol, Star, Strongbow, Tecate, Tiger and Zywiec. Our leading joint venture brands include Cristal and Kingfisher.

The number of people employed is over 85,000. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares are listed on the NYSE Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on the Reuter Equities 2000 Service under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTC: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTC: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theheinekencompany.com

About Armin van Buuren:

Armin van Buuren, currently holding the #2 position in the DJ Mag Top 100, has been named number one in the prestigious popularity poll a historic five times, as the first DJ in the history of the DJ Magazine. One of the biggest successes in his 15 years of dj’ing and producing, is the popular A State of Trance radio show, listened to by more than 20 million people in over 60 countries each week. His A State of Trance and Armin Only world tours attract people from all across the globe, and Armin looks back upon the release of 5 critically acclaimed artist album, of which ‘Intense’ is his latest.  For more info, check out www.arminvanbuuren.com, www.armadamusic.com or www.astateoftrance.com

About Armada:

Dutch record label Armada Music was founded in 2003 by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron and David Lewis. Throughout the years, the record company has brought countless of quality releases within a wide spectrum of electronic dance music, working with names such as W&W, Dash Berlin, Cosmic Gate, Paul Oakenfold and of course Armin van Buuren himself. In 2013, Armada Music celebrated its 10 year anniversary, enjoying a 5 year win of the International Dance Music Award for ‘Best Global Record Label’. With more than 25 sublabels residing under Armada and the record label serving its very own worldwide Armada Night events, the Amsterdam-based company has built a solid reputation in the global dance scene.

CONTACT John Clarke +31 (0)20523935 pressoffice@heineken.com Director, Global External Communication Marnie Kontovraki +31 (0)20523935 pressoffice@heineken.com Brand Consumer PR Officer