Heineken NV
James Bond Speaks: Heineken Deal Unfortunate, Necessary
So James Bond will be dropping his signature drink (the shaken, not stirred martini) for a Heineken. The $45 million dollar deal places Heineken in the hands of one of the most epic heroes of all time. The reception of the move, has been a little frigid. At the National Expo in Atlanta, Georgia (where the move was first revealed), a lot of the audience (comprised of employees) cheered. I did however, see a few head shakes and face palms.
The actor who will play James Bond in the upcoming Skyfall movie Daniel Craig told Movie Fone: “The simple fact is that, without them, we couldn’t do it. It’s unfortunate but that’s how it is. This movie costs a lot of money to make, it costs as nearly as much again if not more to promote, so we go where we can.” Apparently the new Bond movie cost a lot to make.
The deal goes beyond Bond drinking Heineken in the movie. There will be commercials (they previewed pieces of them at the expo), special edition bottles, and printed ads kicking off this summer.
Heineken Accidentally Associated With Dog Fight, Issues Statement
The internet truly never forgets. Heineken’s Facebook page is getting slaughtered with comments about “accidentally” being associated with a dog fight in (in Mongolia?) in 2011. Heineken NV, the global entity for the brand denies even knowing this existed. Apparently, a Heineken event was held at the venue the evening before the picture above was taken. The banners were not taken down prior the to dog fight occurring the next night.
Since the pictures have gone viral, the company has issued this statement today:
Images of dog fighting circulating on the internet
18 April 2012
Images continue to circulate in social media channels showing a dog fight, with Heineken banners clearly visible in the background. This is very distressing and totally unacceptable. As a company and a brand owner, we do not and would never knowingly support any event, outlet or individual involved in this type of activity. It is against our company and brand rules and – more important – against our company values.
Since this matter was brought to our attention via Facebook we have conducted an investigation and now know that:
- The venue is a nightclub in Mongolia
- The venue hosted a dog fight of which we had no knowledge and were not involved in any way
- The venue owner has verbally confirmed that Heineken banners are visible in the pictures because the previous evening the club had been decorated for a promotional event and he had failed to remove the banners once it was over. This event was in no way related to the dog fight
Based on this we have taken the following immediate actions:
- Removed all remaining promotional materials from the venue
- Withdrawn all current product stock from the club
- Ceased our relationship, ensuring our brands will not be available in the club again
- Instructed our distributor to check every location where our brands can be enjoyed to ensure such illegal activities are not taking place. If there is any suggestion that they are, we will take the same action and remove our products
- Continue to ensure our strict advertising and promotion guidelines are enforced both to the letter and the spirit of their intent
We want to thank our consumers on-line for bringing this issue to our attention. We are shocked and disappointed by these images. We fully understand the level of negative feeling amongst consumers based on what they have seen. We appreciate that the vast majority have asked for our point of view before making a judgment. We encourage our consumers to continue to use social media channels to alert us to any situation where they feel our brands are being misrepresented, so that we can take the appropriate actions.
For more information please contact [email protected]
BSJ NOTE: The above photo is mass circulated around the “internets” without attribution. If you are the owner (and can prove it) and would like attribution, contact us through the link at the top of the page.
Heineken USA Recalls By Product, State
Heineken NV has issued a partial recall for a few Mexican beers. The affected bottles are less than 1%, but the company is issuing a partial recall.
The affected products include:
- Carta Blanca 12-ounce brown bottles in 6-packs and 12-packs
- Dos Equis Ambar 12-ounce brown bottles in 6-packs and 12-packs
- “Best of Mexico” 12-pack variety package (which contains the impacted Dos Equis Ambar brown bottle and Indio 12-ounce bottles; this pack is sold only in Texas)
- “Beers of Mexico” 12-pack and 24-pack variety packages (which contains the impacted Dos Equis Ambar brown bottle)
Heineken: Voluntary Partial Recall Of Certain Mexican Beers
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Defect Detected in 12-Ounce Brown Bottles for Six Packs and 12 Packs of Carta Blanca and Dos Equis Ambar as well as “Beers of Mexico” and “Best of Mexico” Pack Types White Plains, N.Y. — April 11, 2012 — HEINEKEN USA today announced a voluntary recall of several products and packages in specific states due to a defect in the 12-ounce brown bottles used for certain batches of Carta Blanca and Dos Equis Ambar, which are available in 6-packs and 12-packs as well as “Beers of Mexico” and “Best of Mexico” pack varieties. Indio 12-ounce bottles, which are only featured in the “Best of Mexico” pack (available only in Texas), are also affected. Dos Equis Lager green bottles and draught; Dos Equis Ambar draught; Tecate; and Carta Blanca 32-ounce bottles are not impacted nor are any other HEINEKEN USA brands. The affected bottles were produced by a third party supplier and the defect was detected through our routine quality inspections. Due to this defect, there is the potential for small grains or particles of glass to separate from the inside lip of the bottle and fall into the liquid. The pieces may vary in size and some may not be easily visible. Although it is believed that the number of affected bottles is significantly less than 1%, to protect the safety of our consumers, the company has made the decision to voluntarily recall certain batches of products as a precautionary measure. There have not been any reports of consumer injuries, and while the likelihood of a possible injury to a consumer is very low, the presence of small particles of glass in the bottle could pose a health risk. The affected products include:
The above products are being recalled only in certain states. Please refer to the list of geographies impacted as well as the production codes below. Affected Product by State
Affected Production Codes (refer to first nine digits of the 13 digit code on the bottle)
“Our passion is to consistently deliver high-quality beer to our consumers, whose health and safety is our first priority,” said Dolf van den Brink, President and CEO of HEINEKEN USA. “We deeply regret this incident and are doing everything possible to resolve it quickly so that our consumers can continue to enjoy these products. We want every experience with one of our products to be flawless.” Consumers should check to see if they have affected product by comparing the first nine digits of the 13-digit production code on the neck of the bottle against the list of impacted product codes above. Please refer to the visuals for further assistance in locating the production code. Consumers who have product on this list should not consume it nor should they allow others to consume it. Anyone who has consumed beer from an affected bottle and becomes ill or shows signs of complications should see a physician immediately. Consumers can obtain more information at www.heinekenusa.com, by calling 1-877-522-5001 or by emailing [email protected]. Refunds will be offered for affected product to consumers 21 years of age or older. In order to receive a refund, consumers will be asked to provide their date of birth, name, address, phone number and email. Refunds will be issued in approximately two to four weeks. For more information, please visit www.heinekenusa.com. # # # About HEINEKEN USA |
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Dos Equis Recall? [Video]
Heineken NV is recalling a small percentage of Dos Equis bottles.
How Much Does It Take To Make Bond Drink Heineken? $45 Million
How will that bottle of Heineken cost in James Bond’s new movie Skyfall? Apparently around $45 Million. A couple of weeks ago at the Heineken National Expo, Heineken NV debuted one of their new marketing approaches in 2012- James Bond. He will ditch the martini and grab a beer. When it was announced, there were cheers. However, looking around right after the announcement I saw a few face palms. The martini to James Bond is like the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker. Sacred.
The best reaction I’ve read yet to the Heineken-Bond scandal? “I hope he gets it shaken…” [via Heineken Source]
Sad But True, James Bond Dropping Martini For Heineken
Last week I spent about a day and a half at Heineken NV’s National Brand Expo in Atlanta, Georgia. If nothing else, the expo really gave me an insight to a global company like Heineken. Around 8 AM, on a day ending in “Y” (I don’t remember which.) Hundreds of retailers, Heineken employees and more filed into the Fabulous Fox Theater downtown for rundown of the business. Let me tell you first and foremost, it wasn’t just a podium and a mic. There were bands, lasers, moving HD screens, smoke, fire & etc. I probably would have paid for that kind of show in Vegas.
Half way through the opening number speech, Heineken announced a big surprise. They have inked a deal with the makers of the Jame’s Bond installment coming this November – Skyfall. The exclusive deal will not only find Bond on packaging, commercials, and the like – but he will ditch the cocktail for the notable green bottle. Shaken, Not stirred indeed. They also showed teasers of Bond drinking the Heineken, along side all the new marketing behind it this summer.
I’m sure you have your own feeling on this move. Personally, the martini was/is part of the appeal. They are synonymous with each other.
Moments before announcing the change in Bond’s drinking preference…
