By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Heineken have announced a global partnership with Formula 1, which will begin this year at the renamed Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken D’Italia 2016, in Monza, and run for a multi-year term.
As part of the partnership, Heineken will be the event title partner for three Grand Prix per year, and will be the exclusive global beer partner for Formula 1, with pouring and activation rights at most events.
One of those activations is the ‘Open Your World’ campaign, which will have a presence in Australia, along with Heineken’s, ‘If You Drive, Never Drink’ social awareness campaign. The campaign presence will include TV commercials, digital activations, live fan experiences and events, dedicated PR initiatives, and packaging/point-of-sale activations. David Coulthard and Sir Jackie Stewart will be ambassadors for the respective campaigns.
Gianluca Di Tondo, senior director global Heineken® brand at Heineken, said; “Formula One is bigger than a race. It is a global event. F1 represents a unique opportunity for Heineken to engage with existing and potential consumers in important growth markets. F1 delivers in three specific areas; strong commercial opportunities; expansion of our responsible drinking platform in new and innovative ways; and enabling skill transfers between F1 and our employees.”
He added: “This partnership complements our existing global platforms, enabling us to reach F1’s huge spectator numbers and 400 million unique television viewers every year. The hallmark of our long and successful relationships with UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup and the James Bond franchise is our passion to excite our consumers. We will be bringing this passion to Formula One.”
Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One Group, said; “Heineken is a premium international brand with a super reputation for first class marketing. I am very pleased to welcome them to the Formula One family and look forward to the scale and quality of their activation at and away from F1 Events. We are both in the innovation and enjoyment business and I hope that this is the start of a long and special relationship. When I have a beer, I have always been happy with a Heineken”.