Heineken is behind a mysterious and innovative Australian Open initiative targeting Melbourne’s hospitality industry that has seen a secret shopper leave surprise gifts for bartenders across the city who have been serving Heineken ‘the right way’.
The undercover present giver, the ‘Star Serve Guru’, has been roaming the area’s bars, pubs and restaurants secretly testing bartender serving, pouring and skimming skills.
For those passing the test, the guru has been secretly leaving behind serious rewards – from hefty tips to pairs of Australian Open tickets – to staff demonstrating an understanding of the importance of the correct service method – the ‘Heineken Star Serve Ritual’.
The initiative is both part of the beer brand’s strategy of incentivising servers to ensue Heineken drinkers get the best ‘product experience’ and a strand within its ground-based activation of its Grand Slam tennis tournament rights.
The mystery ‘start service’ reveal was showcased through a fly-on-the-wall style docu-film shot in several Melbourne drinking venues and edited from undercover, hidden camera footage.
‘Our product sits at the heart of everything we do and one of Heineken’s core brand commitments is to go the extra mile to ensure our international premium beer is delivered to consumers in the best possible way,’ explains Heineken Lion Australia marketing manager Alessandro Manunta.
‘We are always looking to try new things and we want this activation to encourage all bar and wait staff to make sure they are providing the best service to anyone that orders a Heineken. The Star Serve Guru now moves his attention to the rest of the country but no doubt will be back to Melbourne soon. You won’t know where, or when, but as long as you continue to deliver the 5 Step Heineken Star Serve Ritual you could receive the ultimate tip.’
The initiative was developed with Red Agency and the film produced by Monster & Bear.
‘Star Serve Guru’ is part of Heineken’s wider 20th anniversary Australian Open sponsorship celebration – a programme that sees major brand presence throughout the tournament.
Following an initial pre-tournament PR campaign, Heineken used Facebook and Twitter to announce its event page for its enhanced tennis leverage programme.
Our event page for #heinekensaturday is live. Don't miss one of the best events this year. https://t.co/gM0qXoURSv #heinekentennis #ausopen
— Heineken AU (@Heineken_AU) January 7, 2016
Heineken’s core activation is centred upon a heavily branded custom-built event space – the Heineken Live Stage – immediately outside the Grand Slam Oval which sits at the heart of its two decade partnership celebrations.
The ‘Heineken Saturday’ flagship music and entertainment event – with Sneaky Sound System and Hot Tub Time Machine, plus other music acts and DJs – takes place here and hosts thousands of fans (enhancing the approach adopted in 2015)
was trailed and promoted via the brand’s social platforms as well as through the PR push with the hashtag #HeinekenSaturday.
We're excited to announce that @HotDubTM will be headlining Heineken Saturday at this year's @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/2y9BqchcI8
— Heineken AU (@Heineken_AU) January 12, 2016
The 2016 theme for ‘Heineken Saturday’ is ‘dress like a tennis legend’ and fans are encouraged to get into the spirit by ‘rocking the fashion of tennis stars from the past’ or to ‘go for a modern look as one of today’s champions’.
Throughout the tournament fortnight, the Heineken Beer Garden will be open for fans, while its cross-city programme of additional ground-based, entertainment activation strains runs across multiple venues across Melbourne.
Indeed, Heineken has linked with 20+ bars around the city to bring the tennis alive to those without tickets.
Comment
Heineken’s tournament activation strategy is two-fold: to ensure drinkers get the best direct product experience and to create meaningful event-related fan experiences through its consumer activations.
‘We want to create amazing, memorable experiences for all consumers, whether they are fans of the tennis or whether they just want to enjoy a refreshing, cold Heineken while soaking up the atmosphere around Melbourne,’ adds Heineken’s Manunta.
This approach continues to reflect Heineken’s umbrella approach to its partnership leverage programme – from the UEFA Champions League to the Rugby World Cup – which sees it blend music and sport to link direct product and indirect entertainment experiences.
Links
Heineken Australia Website:
http://www.heineken.com/au/en/home.aspx
Heineken Australia Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Heineken_AU
Australian Open TV (YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/australianopentv
Australian Open Events Guide:
http://event.ausopen.com/event-guide
Australian Open Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianOpen/
Red Agency YouTube:
