WPP wins global Heineken shopper marketing brief

Heineken has appointed WPP as its global shopper marketing and commerce partner for brands including Heineken, Heineken 0.0 and Heineken Silver. The WPP team will be led by VML, deploying WPP’s AI-based Open system. It will also focus on developing integrated shopper experiences around key sponsorships including Formula 1, the UEFA Champions League and live music events.

Heineken’s Rutger van der Stegen says: “We were impressed by WPP’s deep capabilities in shopper marketing, including their ability to drive higher efficiencies through WPP Open, underpinned by advanced AI. In addition, WPP’s creativity and deep understanding of the Heineken brand makes them the right partner to increase the impact of shopper touch points in our marketing mix, strengthening connections with consumers and drive sustainable growth.”

WPP’s Rogier Leliveld, chief client officer in the Netherlands and client lead for Heineken, says: “We could not be prouder to expand our partnership with Heineken® and leverage WPP Open’s AI capabilities to create world-class experiences for its brands. Commerce and shopper experience are such important drivers of brand power and sales in this category, which makes this opportunity even more exciting. It also allows us to build on our longstanding brand strategy and design partnership with Heineken. With the added excitement of UEFA Champions League and F1, the potential of this partnership is tremendous.”