Heineken picks WPP as global shopper marketing and commerce partner

Beer brand Heineken has appointed WPP as its global shopper marketing and commerce partner for the iconic Heineken brand portfolio, including Heineken, Heineken 0.0, and Heineken Silver. This expands WPP's relationship with HEINEKEN and underscores its leadership in delivering innovative, AI-powered marketing solutions at scale.

The remit encompasses global development of below-the-line marketing activities, with a focus on creating meaningfully differentiated brand experiences across key touchpoints. A dedicated WPP team, led by VML Amsterdam, will leverage WPP Open, the company's AI-powered operating system for marketing transformation, to deliver creative end-to-end brand experience and commerce solutions. 

This includes working with the global Heineken team on enhancing creative in-store and in-bar brand presence, retail activations, and ecommerce strategies to drive sales and optimise the consumer journey. Additionally, the team will focus on developing integrated shopper experiences around key sponsorships, including Formula 1, the UEFA Champions League, and live music events, driving brand affinity and creating memorable shopper moments for fans.

The WPP team will operate from WPP's Amsterdam Campus and will collaborate closely with the global Heineken team to drive activations in Heineken’s key markets across the globe.

This builds upon WPP's strong existing relationship with Heineken. While WPP's Ogilvy supports brands across the Heineken company portfolio globally and in markets such as Brazil, Spain and Mexico, Design Bridge and Partners delivers branding and design work for Heineken brands, including on the company's recent 150-year anniversary campaign.

Rutger van der Stegen, global head of BTL Heineken Brand, said: “We were impressed by WPP's deep capabilities in shopper marketing, including their ability to drive higher efficiencies through WPP Open, underpinned by advanced AI. In addition, WPP’s creativity and deep understanding of the Heineken® brand makes them the right partner to increase the impact of shopper touchpoints in our marketing mix, strengthening connections with consumers and drive sustainable growth. 

Rogier Leliveld, chief client officer for WPP in the Netherlands and WPP global client lead for Heineken, said: “We could not be prouder to expand our partnership with Heineken and leverage WPP Open's AI capabilities to create world-class experiences for its brands. Commerce and shopper experience are such important drivers of brand power and sales in this category, which makes this opportunity even more exciting. It also allows us to build on our longstanding brand strategy and design partnership with Heineken. With the added excitement of UEFA Champions League and F1, the potential of this partnership is tremendous.” 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to WPP for more information.

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