SPORT

HEINEKEN ALL-INVITATIONAL

SIMPLE

For decades, Heineken has been a proud sponsor of the UEFA Champions League and recently announced its sponsorship with UEFA Women’s Champions League. The sponsorship revealed a new direction for the brand’s sponsorship in football, making its entire football campaign across both the men’s and women’s football divisions about tackling gender bias affecting both players and fans of the sport.

Football has the highest spectatorship in South Africa and with a 37% female viewership and Heineken wanted to show their support and drive the narrative in South Africa to not only show inclusivity both on and off the field but also challenge the stereotype that football belongs to only men.

CREATIVE

One of the most unique football exhibitions to take place in South Africa became a reality when Heineken unveiled the Heineken ALL-INvitational; a one-of-a-kind 5-a-side football match celebrating inclusivity and diversity in the beautiful game, both on and off the pitch.

For the first time on South African soil, Heineken challenged the stereotype that football belongs to only men by a featuring a roster of some of football’s biggest legends, both local and international, female and male.

South Africans experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity as they witnessed the likes of Kristine Lilly, Clarence Seedorf, Luis Garcia, Rosella Ayane and Harriet Pavlou play alongside some of South Africa’s greatest players. Ayane and Lilly, captained a mixed team, which included some of local football’s greatest names both past and present including Amanda Dlamini; Andile Dlamini; Benni McCarthy; Mpumi Nyandeni; Portia Modise; Reneilwe ‘Yeye’ Letsholonyane; Brian Baloyi; Teko Modise, Lucas Radebe and Zanele Nhlapho.

The exhibition remained a moment of firsts when Heineken brought the UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy onto South African soil for the first time in history. All scheduled media interviews were conducted with both a male and female player to ensure that we are not only speaking inclusivity but also showcasing it in our overall approach.

Traditional PR tactics were used to supplement the player activity and help raise awareness around the exhibition and assist in landing relevant campaign messaging. To ensure that all fans were included, the event was broadcast live on SuperSport as well as across Heineken South Africa Facebook, Showmax Pro and Goal.com

IMPACT

+85M audience reach across PR Coverage and media partnerships

+R12M PR Value

+100K engagement from ambassadors across social media