The term ‘sober-curious’ has become more than just a buzzword, and Heineken 0.0 is making waves with its latest campaign, titled “0.0 Reasons Needed”.
In collaboration with agency LePub, the campaign tackles the persistent stigma around non-alcoholic drinks with a blend of humor and cultural insight to kick off Dry January. The campaign features three ads, each highlighting and dismantling assumptions about why someone might choose to skip alcohol.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the campaign.
The Details:
- While all three of the new Heineken 0.0 ads resonated very positively among non-drinkers, the :30 “On a Diet” and “Driving” also found great audiences among drinkers of beer, wine, and seltzer (as well as spirits for “Driving”):
- The latter two spots persuaded 42%-43% of all viewers to positive consideration of Heineken 0.0 (vs just 31% for “No Reason Needed (Work)”), with all three ads cementing the Heineken 0.0 brand name among nearly nine in ten gen pop viewers.
- Scores are indexed to the average alcoholic beverage ad over the past year.
- iSpot media measurement reports linear and streaming support through 1/13/25 solely against the :30 “No Reason Needed (Work),” pointing to opportunity for Heineken 0.0 to maximize outcomes by moving at least some of the budget to the other :30 ads in the campaign.
- The latter two spots persuaded 42%-43% of all viewers to positive consideration of Heineken 0.0 (vs just 31% for “No Reason Needed (Work)”), with all three ads cementing the Heineken 0.0 brand name among nearly nine in ten gen pop viewers.
- All three 0.0 spots stood out to American viewers as a Change in direction and were perceived as more Informative than the average category ad; however, breakthrough (Attention and Likeability) and Relevance (relatability) were better developed by “On a Diet” and “Driving:”
- These ads delivered a broader audience, with “Driving” the most resonant across age/gender. While “On a Diet” and “No Reason Needed (Work)” both found excellent results among Americans 50+, the latter struggled with younger viewers.
- Second-by-second trace results seem to indicate that American viewers simply did not engage with the work scene/environment, seemingly preferring more social/escapism scenes.
- These ads delivered a broader audience, with “Driving” the most resonant across age/gender. While “On a Diet” and “No Reason Needed (Work)” both found excellent results among Americans 50+, the latter struggled with younger viewers.
- Viewer comments reveal the most positive sentiment among American consumers elicited by the :30 “Driving,” with the designated driver scenario perhaps the most widely applicable:
- Emotional profiling reflects the thirst brought forth by each scenario; however, a much stronger set of concerns (Inappropriate, Incredulous response) was observed in comments of viewers of “No Reason Needed (Work)” – suggesting at least some distracted viewing (iSpot’s is a non-skippable testing environment). While additional exposures may clarify any confusion, this is a relevant risk for the brand to consider.
- Polarity profiles indicate a higher level of viewer disagreement for this spot (a polarity score of 66 places the creative in the 93rd percentile of ads in this regard) – whether or not some did not understand the promotion of a non-alcoholic beer or felt the setting was inappropriate – regardless, American viewers were more sensitive to this creative.
- Emotional profiling reflects the thirst brought forth by each scenario; however, a much stronger set of concerns (Inappropriate, Incredulous response) was observed in comments of viewers of “No Reason Needed (Work)” – suggesting at least some distracted viewing (iSpot’s is a non-skippable testing environment). While additional exposures may clarify any confusion, this is a relevant risk for the brand to consider.
Sample comments on “No Reason Needed (Work)” :30
“I like the workers all around the laptop – they’re highly relatable and the reveal that they were watching a game rather than working was funny. The woman had a striking appearance too and was pretty. I enjoyed the fun of it, like it was fine to drink since it wasn’t alcohol and they were working but it turns out they were still having fun watching the game. I also like the shift away from alcoholic content – there are more studies about alcohol causing cancer now.”
Female 36-49
“The ad is funny. It portrays a good boss seeing his workers having a good time, maybe drinking a few too many beers and giving them the incentive to be able to take the next day off due to their good work and consumption of many beers.”
Male 21-35
“I learned Heineken now provides an alcohol-free beer. Liked how they portrayed business professionals getting ‘caught’, by their boss; given the next day off, when they were essentially drinking the equivalent of a soft drink.”
Male 36-49
“I absolutely love Heineken and this commercial made me wish I was enjoying one this second. I think the premise of getting out of work early and enjoying it was a great way to go. Very relatable and funny! Great job!”
Female 21-35
“I’m not sure why employees in the middle of their work would be gathered around someone’s desk drinking beer. Even if that beer has zero alcohol in it. It sends the wrong message about proper workplace etiquette.”
Female 36-49
“I thought it was very entertaining. I legitimately thought these guys were drinking at work. Then the ad shows that it’s non-alcoholic and you have a nice laugh.”
Male 21-35
“It caught my attention because I love beer. Then I still liked it because I do want to change to non-alcohol”
Female 36-49
- When indexed against other alcohol substitute ads (past two years), each of the 0.0 spots enjoyed even stronger response, with all three potentially appropriate for targeting the non-alcohol audience; however, “Driving” and “On a Diet” still outperformed “Work:”
- The purchase intent rates for the latter two spots bested NA norms while “No Reason Needed (Work)” still trailed.
- The purchase intent rates for the latter two spots bested NA norms while “No Reason Needed (Work)” still trailed.
Indexed to alcohol substitute advertising (past two years):
- While Athletic Brewing has historically enjoyed very good response to its positioning of being “fit for all times,” the brand’s :15 from last summer struggled to connect:
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: LePub