Heineken just launched an unlikely campaign dedicated to sports fans tuning into this year's UEFA Champion's League.
In partnership with LePub APAC, the global beer giant has launched "LaundroMatch," an effort to transform 24-hour WashEnjoy laundromats located in South Korea into all-night sports bars, so football fans can band together and watch the games past curfew.
Because "there's a place for the real hardcore fans, even when bars are closed."
Heineken Understands the Market
The company took inspiration from the insight that Asia is filled with diehard football supporters willing to wake up at three or four in the morning just to catch a televised showing of the UEFA broadcast.
"Anyone who wakes up at ridiculous hours to watch their team name their pets after their icons, or wear their lucky pair of socks during matches qualifies as hardcore," noted Giwoun Park, Heineken Korea's marketing director.
While bars in South Korea typically close in the wee hours of the morning, laundromats aren't – giving Heineken the idea to turn the unexpected into a sports bar.
What better company to partner with than WashEnjoy, which is one of South Korea's largest laundromat franchises?
"We wanted to celebrate Asia’s fans who truly live and breathe the sport in a positive, sometimes quirky way. And what could be quirkier than staying up all night to watch the UEFA Champions League at a laundromat?” Park explained.
In addition, Heineken has enlisted the help of Korean dancer Wootae and singer and actor Yoon Doo-Jun to join in on the hype for the Champions League.
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"You may think the world’s most passionate football fans are based in Europe or Brazil, but they can be found in all corners of the world – cities like Seoul, where fans are crazy enough to stay up all night to cheer on their team," concluded Cyril Louis, executive creative director at LePub APAC.
Until June, fans can scan QR codes located at different WashEnjoy branches to access free 30-day SPOTV subscriptions, allowing them to stream the UEFA league at nearby LaundroMatches.