In Heineken 0.0’s New Ads, it Doesn’t Matter Why You’re Going Dry

Behold the designated driver—crowds part for him, bartenders give him preferential treatment and friends hail him for taking one for the team.

But what if this man, the star of a new global ad for Heineken 0.0, simply decided not to drink booze on this particular night out? Does he have to pretend he’s a chauffeur to justify his teetotaling?

The campaign, dubbed “0.0 Reasons Needed” from agency LePub, uses a light touch to delve into a rather weighty issue: While the sober curious movement continues to gather steam and devotees, lingering stigmas and peer pressure can make it awkward for those who abstain.

The eight-year-old Heineken 0.0, which became one of America’s best-selling non-alcoholic beers via masterful marketing and big spending, dropped the work to kick off Dry January.

The brand said it aims to chip away at stereotypes and defend “people’s right to make judgement-free choices.” In other words, if someone goes dry, it doesn’t matter why.

Since its launch in 2017, Heineken 0.0 has “helped make moderation cool,” according to Nabil Nasser, global head of Heineken Brand. But there’s an entrenched taboo that still exists, “so we need to be dynamic and inventive around how we tackle these stereotypes.”

“0.0 Reasons Needed” provides a welcome change from the category norm, noted booze-free advocate and author Hilary Sheinbaum.

“Brands aren’t typically addressing the elephant in the room, which is that friends, family, co-workers, and strangers might think the non-drinker has a specific agenda for abstaining,” Sheinbaum told ADWEEK. “On the one hand, it shows that people can be judgmental. But I think the moral of these clips is that you shouldn’t judge a beer by its lack of ABV.”

A dichotomy chaser

Along with the campaign, Heineken released a study from University of Oxford professor Charles Spence showing that acceptance of low- and no-alcohol drinks is at an all-time high, though choosing one “can still raise eyebrows.”

Among the Oxford findings: more than 33% of Gen Z has felt pressure to drink booze in some social situations, while 21% have been called out or teased for picking low- or no-alcohol tipples. Significantly, 51% reported they drank alcohol at a social occasion when they had planned to abstain.

Gen Z men seem to be hyper-aware of committing a social faux pas in this space: 38% said they would drink low- or non-alcoholic drinks, but only if their friends did the same, and 29% said they felt like “outsiders” when not drinking and were compelled to explain their booze-free choice.

While the stats are telling, there’s a dichotomy in the data, with more people saying they view non-drinkers as “cool” rather than “boring.” The study polled nearly 12,000 Gen Zers of drinking age in the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Brazil, and Japan.

“For many, alcohol is no longer the default in social situations—we’re seeing a shift toward more mindful consumption,” per Spence. “Yet in cultures where drinking alcohol is still predominantly viewed as the norm, opting out can be stigmatized. This is particularly true for Gen Zers and millennials.”

New year, new excuse

Each of the three ads in “0.0 Reasons Needed,” filmed in Barcelona and directed by Hanna Maria Hendrich, focus on a different preconceived notion about why someone would skip booze. Dieting? Ferrying your friends to the club? Burning the midnight oil at work?

The conclusion in each video is that assumptions are often wrong—and anyway, the underlying reason is (or should be) immaterial.

“This campaign challenges the prejudices around the consumption of alcohol-free beer,” according to Bruno Bertelli, global CEO at LePub and chief creative officer of Publicis Worldwide. He defended Heineken 0.0 as not “just an alternative,” but a product that stands on its own.

The non-alcoholic space has become crowded and competitive. Sheinbaum realizes the need for traditional call-to-action marketing, though she wonders if that approach will change popular opinion.

“It would be nice, or at least a change of pace, to see an ad with someone who is sober curious, going out, going on dates, enjoying themselves…and maybe the audience not recognizing or realizing what is in their glass until the end of the night,” Sheinbaum said.

An ad like that would be “a larger statement” about someone drinking a non-alcoholic beverage at a wedding, a birthday, a celebration, a promotion, or another major life moment, “and still living their best life.”