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Heineken Virtual Pub Museums
The Irish pub stands tall among cultural icons, recognised globally for its unmatched atmosphere where music, conversation and craic combine to create something truly unique. Heineken Ireland wanted to highlight the importance of this cultural institution by opening virtual Pub Museums across Ireland.
The campaign, which just took 4 Gold and 4 Silver Lions at Cannes (a new Irish record), was conceived by Heineken International and Heineken Ireland with app rollout by Le Pub (global) and Publicis Dublin, and the publicity campaign, media partnerships and event execution led by THINKHOUSE.
Heineken partnered with three distinguished Irish pubs to pioneer the virtual Pub Museum experience. The campaign launch began with Toners Pub in Dublin, followed by the oldest pub in the world, Sean’s Bar in Athlone, and Mother Macs in Limerick. Patrons can now embark on a digital journey through time, exploring the rich history and stories told within these beloved establishments.
Visitors can unlock a trove of historical facts and stories by scanning a QR code on historical artefacts within the pubs. Through the dynamic capabilities of Snapchat Lens and the immersive functionality of a web app powered by 8thWall, the digital project brings Augmented Reality to historical pubs across Ireland. From detailed descriptions to captivating 3D animations and informative audio guides, users are transported into a world where history meets innovation.
Heineken is also exploring how these pubs can apply for official museum accreditation via The Heritage Council. By supporting pubs in this bid for museum status, Heineken aims to preserve pub culture and the future of socialising.
Heineken enlisted the support of THINKHOUSE to propel the story into culture. Working with global and local teams we crafted the story of the Virtual Pub Museums and hosted an immersive event at Toners Pub to bring the story to life for creators and media. To date, the reach of the campaign is over 2.7m, with 112 pieces of earned coverage landing for the story. Sentiment across the board has been 100% positive. A forthcoming partnership with LadBible will further bolster the campaign ensuring even more Irish pub-goers get to explore the past in order to preserve the future.
Speaking about the campaign, Mark Noble, Marketing Manager at Heineken Ireland, said: “This initiative is truly a passion project for us all working on it together. As partners of pubs across Ireland, Heineken wanted to shine a spotlight on their importance and position them as museums in culture. Working with the THINKHOUSE team on the campaign storytelling strategy enabled us to generate significant reach and awareness through news generation, creators, media partnerships and events. We’re looking forward to working together on the next stage of this project.”
Heineken’s Pub Museums set a new Irish record for winning the most Cannes Lions for a single campaign by winning four Gold Lions and four Silver for Heineken Ireland. The four Gold Lions came in the Outdoor, Creative B2B, Direct, Brand Experience and Activation categories. The Silver Lions, meanwhile, came in the Outdoor, Radio & Audio, Brand Experience & Activation and PR categories.
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