Happy International Beer Day! On this day full of fun, Heineken® delivered an emotional video message with a surprising message: forget about the beer for a moment, and focus on having a good time with friends.
International Beer Day, Heineken® Says You Can Forget about Beer for a Moment
This message was directly conveyed on the eve of the International Beer Day celebrations in Indonesia. In Jakarta, beer lovers toasted and had fun together at SCBD's Inner Circle. During this event, Heineken® specially invited Chicco Jerikho – a famous Indonesian public figure and actor – to take over the bar and present happiness directly to the guests.
This excitement was not only centered in Jakarta; Heineken® also brought the excitement of International Beer Day to 99 other favorite hangout spots spread throughout Indonesia, including Medan, Surabaya, and Bali.
“We are very happy to be able to enliven the celebration of International Beer Day in Indonesia this year. At Heineken®, our goal is to bring people together and create unforgettable good times. This celebration is part of our commitment to spreading good times and encouraging authentic relationships. Cheers!” said Jessica Setiawan, Marketing Director of Multi Bintang Indonesia.
“Want to grab a beer? Let's drink?” is often a signal for people to spend time and enjoy a beer together. Heineken®, as one of the world's most famous brewers, didn't mind if consumers forgot about the beer in front of them for a moment. In fact, Heineken® wanted them to focus on socializing and having fun together.
For more than 150 years, Heineken® has always prioritized social aspects, providing good times and bringing together people from various backgrounds. When people could celebrate and enjoy moments together, that is much more valuable for Heineken®. After all, from the start, Freddy Heineken had said, "I don't sell beer, I sell gezelligheid" (an expression in Dutch which means a feeling of joy).
This message was manifested through a video shown on International Beer Day, which showed how beer became a reserve player. Watching people enjoy the excitement of the party, celebrating the victory of their favorite football team, and seeing people exchanging laughs at the bar. Situations like this were a sign that good times were underway. Accompanied by the song Claire de Lune from Debussy, it further implied that the best part of drinking beer was not the beer itself, but having fun together.
Having fun together or socializing in general was a necessary activity to overcome the endemic loneliness that was currently plaguing global society. Moreover, with the factors that we were always online and working longer hours, people's social lives were affected. This was supported by a newly released study, which found that almost a quarter (24%) or the equivalent of one in every 20 people of the global population felt “very” or “somewhat” lonely, while 6% did not feel connected “at all.”
To encourage the creation of social activities and help people have fun, Heineken® again held the Heineken® Star Serve Competition 2024, a competition to find the best bartender in Indonesia who is able to serve Heineken® draft beer perfectly.
"International Beer Day was part of the Star Serve campaign by Heineken® which we ran in 2024. Our participation in celebrating International Beer Day reflected our ongoing journey to always provide consumers with the best serving beer," concluded Jessica.
