Heineken wraps global agency review in bid for scale and consistency

Heineken has concluded its global marketing agency ecosystem review, appointing a streamlined roster of creative, production and media partners as it looks to accelerate the next phase of growth for its global and power brands portfolio.

The move forms part of the brewer’s wider EverGreen 2030 growth strategy, which aims to create a more “streamlined, effective and future-fit” agency model capable of delivering stronger creative impact, operational efficiency and consistency at scale.

Following a competitive pitch process, Heineken reappointed dentsu as its global media agency and Publicis Groupe for global secondary production duties.

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Meanwhile, its global creative roster has been consolidated across three holding companies: Publicis Groupe, WPP and Stagwell. The review did not include creative responsibilities for the flagship Heineken brand, which remains with Publicis.

According to the brewer, the revised structure will support brands including Amstel, Birra Moretti, Desperados and Tiger, alongside selected priority local power brands, through a smaller group of strategic partners aimed at enabling deeper collaboration and greater consistency across markets.

Bram Westenbrink, chief commercial officer at Heineken, said the move marks “a significant step” in the company’s commercial transformation efforts.

“Moving to fewer, better and bigger agency partners is part of our broader Freddyai Commercial transformation,” he said, adding that the company was looking to build a more scalable and future-ready model for global brand building.

Jorn Socquet, senior director global brand impact and growth transformation at Heineken, added that the new agency ecosystem is intended to sharpen strategic focus while improving operational speed and efficiency.

“By partnering with a smaller number of world-class agencies, we are creating the conditions for deeper collaboration, sharper strategic focus, and more impactful creativity,” he said.

“At the same time, this model allows us to operate with greater speed and efficiency, ensuring we can deliver high-quality work consistently across our global and local brand portfolio.”

Heineken said the transition to the new agency structure will begin immediately, with a phased rollout aligned to brand planning cycles to maintain continuity across markets.

The review comes amid broader shifts across the global marketing landscape, as brands increasingly reassess sprawling agency ecosystems in favour of more consolidated structures designed to reduce complexity, improve integration and maximise efficiencies amid growing economic pressures.

Earlier in October, Heineken chimed in on the growing chatter around AI companionship with a tongue-in-cheek campaign that reminded consumers where real connections are made, over an actual beer.

Created in collaboration with LePub New York, the campaign extends Heineken’s SocialOffSocials initiative, which champions authentic human interaction in an age of digital substitutes.

That same month, Heineken launched "Rooftop revival", a campaign in Seoul that transformed unused urban rooftops into social hubs, tackling what the brewer called the “proximity paradox” of city life — where people live close together but still feel isolated.

The campaign, also created by creative agency LePub, invited Seoulites to rediscover their city through a series of rooftop events revealed via satellite imagery, each marked by Heineken’s red star against the city’s green rooftops.

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