Publicis Italy says ‘Cheers to All Fans’ in star-studded spots and a new direction for the brand’s sponsorship in football
Today Heineken and Publicis revealed a new direction for the brand’s sponsorship in football, making its entire football campaign across both the men’s and women’s game about tackling gender bias affecting both players and fans of the sport.
With two-thirds of women in football having experienced gender discrimination, Heineken is on a mission to evolve its sponsorships in the sport to address the uneven playing field when it comes to gender by highlighting some of the ways that women are unfairly treated.
Heineken’s first move in correcting the gender bias is to address inaccurate statistics present across the internet that are often the source of the prejudice. In a forward-thinking move that challenges the algorithms and search mechanics of key websites, Heineken is today unveiling Fresher Football – a new webpage in partnership with GOAL that provides correct responses to the most popular questions asked online about the UEFA Champions League, where answers tend to overlook key data around the women’s game.
The aim of Fresher Football is to encourage search engines and fan sites to recognise, amend and their current information to the accurate answers, regardless of gender.
To achieve this Heineken is committing to intercepting online searches, buying key AdWords around popular football questions, and correcting the current answers with accurate statistics based on the men’s and women’s game, allowing female achievements in football to be celebrated and not forgotten.
To further support its mission in tackling inclusivity in football, Heineken® have created a new TVC and Digital campaign, entitled Cheers to All Fans, Men Included, highlighting the misconception that you must be a man to be a football fan. From sneaking to the bathroom during a date and checking the score, to screaming loudly with their friends in the living room, Cheers to All Fans, Men Included features men and women fans throughout, rewriting the stereotype and showing the reality that gender doesn’t dictate someone’s passion for football.
In addition to the above acts and ads, Heineken® will be partnering with its first women football ambassador with its partnership with English football legend and broadcaster, Alex Scott. Scott, who was a part of Arsenal’s 2007 UEFA Women’s Cup winning team, will feature within Heineken®’s marketing collateral alongside current brand ambassador, Thierry Henry to promote the importance of equality within the sport.
Alex Scott, Heineken ambassador says: “What I love about football is that it brings people together from all walks of life. Everyone has a right to take part in the sport they love, whether they’re a fan or a player. At the end of the day, sport is sport, and no one should be left out. That’s why I’m excited to work with Heineken® to challenge the stereotypes, football should be for everyone.”
Bram Westenbrink, global head Heineken Brand, says: “Heineken® is a brand for the fans and we’ve always been passionate about bringing people together to celebrate the things they love. Now, on our journey to improve inclusivity in football through our sponsorships, we’re committed to ensuring the sport is a safe and welcoming space for everyone.”
Nadine Keßler, UEFA’s Chief of Women’s Football, says: “We are delighted to see our long-standing partner Heineken® taking a bold stance with their campaign to support women’s football. UEFA has set up the UEFA Women’s EURO and UEFA Women’s Champions League competitions to not only showcase the best of the women’s game but to engage the next generation of players and fans. Heineken®’s campaign will help promote the importance of equality in the sport and we look forward to supporting them with their movement.”
Heineken has been a partner of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s EUROs since 2021, when the brand made the decision to mirror its men’s and women’s sponsorships across both football and motorsport.
HEINEKEN
SR. DIRECTOR GLOBAL HEINEKEN® BRAND: Bram Westenbrink
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR: Daniela Iebba
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Guilherme De Marchi Retz
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Rob van Griensven
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL DIGITAL MANAGER: Laurens Griep
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL PR LEAD: Jonathan O’Lone
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIP LEAD – FOOTBALL: Benjamin Blanco
HEINEKEN® GLOBAL FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIP MANAGER – FOOTBALL: Thomas Mulders
PUBLICIS ITALY/LE PUB
GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER PUBLICIS WW: Bruno Bertelli
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Cristiana Boccassini
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Mihnea Gheorghiu
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Milos Obradovic
GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Sandra Bold
ART DIRECTOR SUPERVISOR: Marie Poumeyrol
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Corina Patraucean
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nicolo Carrassi
ART DIRECTOR: Daniele Tesi
CREATIVE: Thiago Jacon
CREATIVE: Conor Barry
GLOBAL CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Bela Ziemann
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: James Moore
GLOBAL DATA STRATEGIST: Ilko Petkov
GLOBAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Daniel Vargas Gomez
GLOBAL ETHNOGRAPHY MANAGER: Mina Baginova
CHIEF CREATION OFFICER: Francesca Zazzera
TV PRODUCER: Sanam Bartoletti
DIGITAL PRODUCER: Florin Marica
LE PUB AMS GM: Eleni Charakleia
GLOBAL CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR: Paola Natellis
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Luigi Palma
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR: Martina Colombo
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Tinatin Prangishvili
GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER PUBLICIS WW: Bruno Bertelli
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Cristiana Boccassini
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Milos Obradovic
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Andrey Tyukavkin
ART DIRECTOR SUPERVISOR: Marie Poumeyrol
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Corina Patraucean
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nicolo Carrassi
GLOBAL CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Bela Ziemann
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: James Moore
CHIEF CREATION OFFICER: Francesca Zazzera
PRODUCER: Erica Lora Lamia
PRODUCER: Sanam Bartoletti
LE PUB AMS GM: Eleni Charakleia
GLOBAL CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR: Paola Natellis
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Luigi Palma
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Tinatin Prangishvili
TV & DIGITAL PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Good People Films
DIRECTOR: Ali Ali
DOP: Farhad Ghaderi
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Khaled Zaki
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Sarah Touma
PRODUCER GREECE: Veta Chatziioannou
PRODUCER: Omar Khalil
DIGITAL PRODUCER: EugenIa Papapanou
DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Thanos Mitsios
DIGITAL DOP: Evangelos Polychronopoulos
MAIN CONTENT EDITOR: Neda Zag / Enrico Munarini
BB OFFLINE EDITOR: Tommaso Bianchi
DIGITAL OFFLINE EDITOR: Andrea Besana
POST PRODUCTION COMPANY: Framestore
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Helen Hughes
PRODUCER: Jake Saunders
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Poppy Chadwick
VFX SHOOT SUPERVISOR: Nick Pittas
VFX LEAD: Judy Roberts
VFX ARTIST: Edwin So
VFX ARTIST: Eileen Chan
VFX ARTIST: Jason Farrow
DIGITAL POST PRODUCTION COMPANY: Prodigious
HEAD OF POST PRODUCTION: Alfredo Beretta
TV POST PRODUCER: Alina Chaplygina
ONLINE: Franco Tonnarelli, Sandro Iurini
VFX LEAD: Adolfo Navire
ROTOSCOPING: Stefano Moretto
RERECORDING SUPERVISION: Treble Rebel – Nitzan Hoffman
MUSIC LICENSING: Massive Music- Dolf Bekker
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