The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2023–2025
Heineken misspells its own name on 300M bottles for its 150th — Grand Clio
For its 150th year Heineken stopped spelling itself right: 300M+ bottles in 100+ misspellings, zero correct labels, across 192 countries.
Heineken
What it had to solve
Heineken turned 150 in 2023. Research showed young drinkers could not care less about brand anniversaries and most did not even know how to spell Heineken, so a proud heritage campaign would have fallen flat.
How it works
In 2023 Heineken turned 150. Instead of a heritage campaign, LePub Milan built the anniversary around an insight: young drinkers could not care less about brand birthdays, and most could not even spell Heineken. So the brand decided to stop being Heineken for a full year and become Whateverken — every misspelling, mispronunciation and nickname the world used became a badge of how people actually enjoy the beer.
The idea ran to the core of the product: the entire global packaging run used wrong spellings — over 300 million bottles, more than 100 different misspells, and zero correctly spelled 'Heineken' — plus misspelled taps, bar signs, beer trucks, social handles and website. A hero film showed fans serving it with lime, a straw or ice, and typing a misspelling online unlocked promotions; local activations included collabs with Adidas, MSGM and Monopoly.
Awards followed: a Grand Clio 2025 for Creative Strategy, with Silvers in Integrated and Creative Commerce, and a Cannes Lions 2024 Bronze in Creative Strategy. The 150th ended up celebrating consumers' good times rather than the company's history — one way or another.
Why it lands
- Heineken's answer to a milestone nobody cared about was to stop talking about itself and mirror how the world actually uses the brand.
- The idea reached the product itself: 300M+ bottles and zero correct labels made the renunciation real rather than a slogan.
- Misspelling the name online unlocked promotions, turning a brand-anniversary broadcast into an invitation to participate.
- Juries read it as strategy, not a stunt: Cannes Lions 2024 Bronze in Creative Strategy and a 2025 Grand Clio in Creative Strategy.
What it did
The renunciation reached the product itself — 300M+ bottles, 100+ misspellings and zero correct labels across 192 countries — and awards followed: a 2025 Grand Clio for Creative Strategy, Silvers in Integrated and Creative Commerce, and a Cannes Lions 2024 Bronze in Creative Strategy.
What you can take
When the audience ignores your heritage story, tell theirs: giving up correctness — even your own name — turns an anniversary into an invitation to be used the way people already use the brand.
Since then
The misspelled identity ran through 2023 and the packaging program kept expanding (the agency entry projected 2B+ bottles by 2025); by May 2025 the campaign had collected a Grand Clio for Creative Strategy plus Silvers in Integrated and Creative Commerce, and it became a reference point for brand-humility campaigns.
Sources
- Finalist – Creative Strategy: "150 Years of Whateverken" (entry page)
- The Clio Awards Reveals 2025 Grands and Of The Years
- Hinekken? Heniken? Heineken Says It Doesn't Matter As Long As You Have A Good Time, One Way Or Another
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card