Heineken Corrects Online Sports Statistics To Tackle Gender Bias In Soccer

The brand challenges stereotypes after expanding its UEFA sponsorship to the women’s game

Two-thirds of women who work in soccer have experienced gender discrimination, according to a 2020 survey from the organization Women in Football. Additionally, women remain underrepresented across the sport.

Heineken, which last year expanded its UEFA sponsorship to the women’s game, is on a mission to tackle gender bias affecting soccer players and fans. The campaign marks a new direction for Heineken’s 25-year UEFA sponsorship and will run across both men’s and women’s matches.

The brand’s first move in correcting gender bias in soccer is to address inaccurate statistics online. It has set up a new website, called Fresher Football, that provides correct responses to the most popular questions asked online about the UEFA Champions League, since common answers tend to overlook data from the women’s game.

For example, searching online for “How many times has Arsenal won the UCL” comes up with the answer “zero.” But the correct response is once, since the Arsenal Women’s team won the European championship in 2007.

The Fresher Football project aims to encourage search engines and fan sites to amend their current content with information encompassing all genders. To achieve this, Heineken is buying key AdWords around popular online questions about soccer and correcting those answers with accurate statistics that will allow women’s achievements in soccer to be recognized and celebrated.

Along with the site, Heineken has launched an ad that rewrites gender stereotypes in sports and challenges the misperception that soccer fans are always men. The spot shows female fans demonstrating their passion for soccer in unexpected scenarios, such as one who sneaks into the bathroom during a date to check the score and a group of friends screaming loudly at a match.

It ends with the tagline, “Cheers to all fans. Men included”—a twist on the assumption that men should be the default sports fans.

A gender inclusive sponsorship

Heineken is also partnering with its first female soccer ambassador, English soccer legend and broadcaster Alex Scott, who was part of Arsenal’s 2007 UEFA Women’s Cup winning team. Scott and Heineken’s current brand ambassador, soccer star Thierry Henry, will team up to promote the importance of equality in the sport.

“Heineken is a brand for the fans and we’ve always been passionate about bringing people together to celebrate the things they love. Now, on our journey to improve inclusivity in football through our sponsorships, we’re committed to ensuring the sport is a safe and welcoming space for everyone,” Bram Westenbrink, global head the Heineken brand, said in a statement.

Heineken has sponsored the UEFA Women’s Champions League and Women’s Euros since 2021.

Publicis Italy and Le Pub created the campaign. 

CREDITS:

Senior Director Global Heineken Brand: Bram Westenbrink
Global Communication Director: Daniela Iebba
Global Communications Manager: Guilherme De Marchi Retz
Global Digital Director: Rob van Griensven
Global Digital Manager: Laurens Griep
Global Football Sponsorship Lead – Football: Benjamin Blanco 
Global Football Sponsorship Manager – Football: Thomas Mulders
Agency: Publicis Italy / Le Pub
Global Chief Creative Officer Publicis WW: Bruno Bertelli 
Chief Creative Officers: Cristiana Boccassini, Mihnea Gheorghiu
Executive Creative Director: Milos Obradovic
Global Creative Director: Sandra Bold
Art Director Supervisor: Marie Poumeyrol
Associate Creative Directors: Corina Patraucean, Nicolo Carrassi
Art Director: Daniele Tesi
Creatives: Thiago Jacon, Conor Barry
Global Chief Strategy Officer: Bela Ziemann
Strategy Director: James Moore
Global Strategy Director: Daniel Vargas Gomez
Global Ethnography Manager: Mina Baginova
Chief Creation Officer: Francesca Zazzera
TV Producer: Sanam Bartoletti
Digital Producer: Florin Marica        
Production Company: Good People Films
Director: Ali Ali
DOP: Farhad Ghaderi
Executive Producer: Khaled Zaki
Head of Production: Sarah Touma
Producer Greece: Veta Chatziioannou
Producer: Omar Khalil
Digital Producer: EugenIa Papapanou 
Digital Director: Thanos Mitsios
Digital DOP: Evangelos Polychronopoulos
Main Content Editor: Neda Zag / Enrico Munarini
BB Offline Editor: Tommaso Bianchi
Digital Offline Editor: Andrea Besana 
Post Production Company: Framestore 
VFX Shoot Supervisor: Nick Pittas
VFX Lead: Judy Roberts
VFX Artists: Edwin So, Eileen Chan, Jason Farrow
Color: Company3, Simon Bourne
Rerecording Supervision: Treble Rebel – Nitzan Hoffman
Music Licensing: Massive Music- Dolf Bekker
Audio Post Production: String and Tins
Sound Design and Mix: Lawrence Kendrick, Jim Stewart, Joe Wilkinson