Heineken has partnered with restaurant-booking platform OpenTable in the US to launch a responsible-consumption activation for Heineken 0.0.
The concept, part of Heineken USA’s ‘There’s No Such Thing As Fine to Drive’ program, will allow diners to designate a driver while booking a restaurant on OpenTable. A pilot will go live in Houston, Texas, from Friday 31 July to Sunday 4 October, in ten restaurants.
As part of the activation, Heineken is also giving away US$25 gift cards and a $100 SafeRides.org voucher to randomly selected consumers who book a table on OpenTable, assign a designated driver for their reservation and complete a survey. The sweepstake will run for the duration of the Houston trial.
Citing an in-house survey of 1,000 people in the US, the brewer said “71% of Americans would be more likely to make a safe ride home plan if they were prompted at time of reservation booking”, while ” 82% of Americans say they can enjoy their day/night of drinking more knowing they have a safe ride home planned in advance”.
A separate Heineken survey of 1,000 Houston residents showed “34% of Houstonians have previously underestimated how intoxicated they were until they were already behind the wheel and 36% have previously given in and driven after drinking because they were the ‘most sober’ one in the group”.
Heineken USA’s chief corporate affairs officer, Anne de Graaf, said: “By elevating the designated driver (DD) experience, we want to raise awareness that opting out of alcohol doesn’t mean opting out of the fun.
“This first-of-its-kind OpenTable partnership proves that choosing not to drink is a celebrated choice, shifting how people plan their nights out from the … reservation.”
Earlier this month, Heineken revealed it was once again giving away a Formula One ‘season ticket’ as part of the brewer’s “multi-year global partnership” with the motorsport’s organiser for the 0.0 extension.
