Dive Brief:
- Heineken is bringing group chats to life with the help of New York Knicks player Josh Hart as part of its ongoing “#SocialOffSocials” brand platform, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- For “Group Chat Bar,” Heineken outfitted a New York bar with items inspired by Hart’s group chat, Cold Water. The chat’s members all met up for a night of connecting over drinks, something they rarely get to do due to their scattered geographical locations.
- The activation was informed by the results of Heineken’s “Social Off Socials” study, which found 94% of Americans are currently in group chats with friends and family. However, 29% meet up with their group chats in-person once per month at most.
Dive Insight:
Social connection has been a key part of Heineken’s brand identity for several years, persisting even after the brand named a new CMO in November of 2024. As the most recent activation in the “SocialOffSocials” platform, “Group Chat Bar” focuses on ditching digital communication for in-person connections, positioning beer as an ideal vehicle for bonding.
Hart’s Cold Water pop-up will not be the only Group Chat Bar the brand brings to life. Heineken is hosting a contest where one U.S.-based group chat will win their own personalized bar experience. Consumers are able to enter via Heineken’s website or by commenting on certain social media posts, helping to drive online chatter.
Driving the effort is the “Social Off Socials” study, which includes data from 1,000 American consumers collected via an online survey that was conducted from Oct. 2-6, 2025. Respondents were between the ages of 25 and 45, use a smartphone and have participated in a group chat within the last month.
Among those who use group chats regularly, 80% would like to meet up in person more often, the study found. Of those who do meet up, 83% leave these gatherings feeling more refreshed and energized. Three-quarters of respondents reported feeling closer to their groups after meeting in-person and 87% said nothing can replace in-person interaction.
Heineken has made genuine connection a key part of its marketing efforts. Earlier this month, the brand poked fun at the wearable artificial intelligence (AI) companion company, Friend. Soon after the AI company began advertising in New York, Heineken posted its own out-of-home advertisements showing a bottle opener pendant that looks similar to the product Friend sells. The ad read: "The best way to make a friend is over a beer." In 2024, the beer brand released an app that makes any phone “dumb,” forcing people to stay off apps and socialize.
While Heineken’s messaging may connect with consumers who feel they are spending too much time on the internet, the brand faces an uphill struggle because beer consumption, and alcohol consumption in general, has been declining. As of 2025, 54% percent of U.S. adults say they consume alcohol, a four-point drop from the year prior. Additionally, 53% of Americans believe drinking is bad for your health. As a result, alcohol companies have increased investments in nonalcoholic beer alternatives. In January, Heineken 0.0 launched a campaign to destigmatize alcohol abstention.
