THE CHALLENGE

All over the world, authentic, character-rich bars are struggling with rising costs, regulation, and reduced foot traffic. Heineken® wanted to support these venues beyond one-off charity or sponsorship models. The objective was to build a scalable, sustainable solution that aligned with the brand’s commercial activities. The challenge: could we turn the everyday need for filming locations into a lifeline for bars in need?

THE STRATEGY

Recognising that bars are cultural hotspots and the default setting for many Heineken® commercials, together with LePub we turned this creative requirement into a social impact mechanism. The strategy was to institutionalise the use of bars that serve Heineken® beer as filming locations instead of the traditional use of production sets. To create a wider movement around this and help spotlight and support income for local businesses, Heineken® extended this model to the entertainment industry. This approach directly tied ad production budgets to real-world business development, while inviting the broader film industry to participate in a movement that helps local communities.

THE EXECUTION

The ‘Starring Bars’ initiative was activated globally with an integrated campaign. We launched a campaign that directed location scouts to a searchable bar catalogue at www.starringbars.com featuring floorplans, availability, and style filters. A branded film shared bar owners’ stories, showing the impact of being featured. Bars would receive set and location rental budgets, plus renovations and exposure. Physical and digital “badge of honor” signage promoted featured bars. Rolling billboards targeted Hollywood and production hubs with calls to action for directors and scouts. Coverage appeared across earned media globally.

THE OUTCOME

• Set and location rental budgets funnelled directly to bars
• Real local bars featured in media and Heineken® content
• Digital and physical badges boosted visibility
• Global bar catalogue launched to the entertainment industry
• OOH targeted production houses and streaming paltforms
• 300K+ average ad views per bar location
• Initiative earned international press, including The Times, Financial Times, PRWeek