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Back in 2017, Heineken shook things up with Heineken 0.0, a non-alcoholic lager brewed for a “distinct balanced taste.” Fast forward nearly eight years, and it’s a leader in the non-alcoholic beer scene. But outside of that space, there’s still a stigma around choosing alcohol-free drinks.
To dig into this, Heineken partnered with Oxford professor Charles Spence for an anthropological study of 11,842 adults across five major markets. The study found that 21% of Gen Z respondents had faced judgment for choosing non-alcoholic drinks, and over a third had felt pressured to drink.
These findings inspired Heineken to launch the “0.0 Reasons Needed” campaign in January 2025. Their message was simple: you don’t need an excuse to drink Heineken 0.0—just like you don’t need one to drink anything else.
At Behavio, we wanted to evaluate whether the campaign was truly successful in communicating this key message. So, we put the brand’s new “Working late?” ad to the test with a Dutch audience to see how it performed in communicating need with the right messaging, reinforcing branding, and evoking a positive emotion.
Evaluating Heineken 0.0’s “Working Late?” ad
This ad in Heineken 0.0’s campaign takes a playful approach to non-alcoholic beer by blending office humor with a reward-driven narrative. The core message comes through clearly, but the workplace setting has made it slightly polarizing for some viewers.
By emphasizing the “zero alcohol” message and keeping the branding strong, it’s overall a solid ad. But could it have hit the mark even better?
Let’s break it down.
Need
For an ad to work, it needs to create a clear memory link between the product and a specific consumer need.
In this case, Heineken 0.0 wanted viewers to associate their product with responsible, anytime consumption.
And they succeeded—97% of ads perform worse in conveying consumer need!
A standout 72% of viewers recognized the ad’s key message: "Zero Alcohol". This is a major win, positioning Heineken 0.0 as the go-to choice for those looking for a beer experience without the alcohol.
However, secondary messages didn’t land quite as well. The message recall for the idea of drinking beer “even at work” was moderate (57%), and only 46% of viewers made the direct connection between Heineken 0.0 and the general category of beer.
The takeaway? The “Zero Alcohol” message is spot on, but highlighting more situations where the product fits could help Heineken make the brand even more relevant.
Branding
Branding is another area where this campaign excelled–65% of viewers could recall the brand after watching, which is well above the 53% average.
Given the short attention span of audiences, the most effective ads introduce their brand within the first five seconds to avoid wasting valuable ad spend. In this case, an impressive 89% of viewers recognized the brand within that time frame, ensuring it stays top of mind even as attention wanes.
There is a small dip in branding at certain moments. Viewers were quick to recognize the Heineken brand when the beer bottles were present, but had trouble recalling it during scenes that focused on the boss character.
This suggests Heineken could improve by keeping its branding more consistent throughout the ad. Small tweaks, like reinforcing brand assets during key emotional moments, could take a strong performance and turn it into something exceptional.
Emotion
One area where this Heineken ad missed the mark was emotion. While it brings humor and a relatable scenario, its emotional impact compared to our benchmark—ranking higher than 61% of tested ads.
Why? Most viewers found the idea of employees faking work in front of their boss funny, and the concept of non-alcoholic beer as a workplace treat made sense.
But others felt uneasy about bringing beer (whether alcoholic or not) into a professional setting. The main issue was the sight of beer bottles in a work environment, which made some people uncomfortable and sparked mixed emotional reactions.
But Heineken did get one thing right: humor. When done well, humor boosts ad recall more than any other creative tool. The challenge, however, was finding the right balance between humor and setting expectations around workplace drinking culture.
Final thoughts
Heineken 0.0’s campaign is a textbook case of strong messaging and branding, but its setting introduces a bit of controversy.
Key wins:
✅ Crystal-clear messaging on "zero alcohol"
✅ Strong branding, especially in early moments
✅ Effective use of humor to keep the ad engaging
Opportunities to improve:
⚡ Ensure the brand stays top-of-mind in all key moments
⚡ Address potential discomfort around beer in the workplace setting
⚡ Strengthen secondary messages beyond "zero alcohol"
In short? A highly effective ad with room to fine-tune the storytelling. And with a few adjustments, Heineken 0.0 could raise a toast to an even stronger performance next time.
You can explore the full report directly on Behavio’s platform - check it out!
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