Heineken Malaysia Berhad Advocates Responsible Consumption
Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) today reaffirmed its commitment towards advocating responsible consumption. As a responsible and progressive brewer with a history dating back to 1965 in the country, HEINEKEN Malaysia has always been leading the effort in engaging and educating its customers and consumers on enjoying beers and ciders responsibly.
At the global level, HEINEKEN Malaysiaās parent company Heineken NV is one of the signatories of the Beer, Wine and Spirits Producersā Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking along with 11 companies behind some of the worldās most popular alcohol brands. Millions of people across the world have been reached in the mission to combat harmful drinking. The HeinekenĀ® brand dedicates 10% of media spend across all operating companies that sell HeinekenĀ® to responsible drinking campaigns, including Malaysia. This investment includes the āWhen You Drive, Never Drinkā programme that provides an unprecedented opportunity to help change attitudes and behaviours and reduce drink driving around the world.
Locally, HEINEKEN Malaysia has invested RM7.3 million since 2010 on various initiatives to create awareness amongst consumers. Through its āDrink Sensiblyā and āEnjoy Responsiblyā platforms, over RM5.3 million have been invested into outreach and education campaigns through brand and corporate communications, on-ground events, as well as digital campaigns including the annual year-end festive period awareness drive. As part of these programmes, consumers are educated on the importance of moderation and are encouraged to use alternative modes of transportation including e-hailing to go home safely.
The HeinekenĀ® brand has also activated the āWhen You Drive, Never Drinkā platform in Malaysia, investing more than RM2 million since it was launched in 2016. Leveraging on the global partnership with F1Ā®, HeinekenĀ® has been amplifying the simple but clear message urging consumers not to drive when they have consumed any amount of alcohol. HeinekenĀ® has communicated the message through various brand communications and campaigns, making extensive use of traditional and social media and influencers to reach out to more than 15 million people.
Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia said, āOur message to our consumers is simple – When You Drive, Never Drink. If you are driving, having one alcoholic drink is one drink too many. As a responsible brewer, we are committed to continue supporting our retail partners on the topic of responsible serving and educating our consumers on responsible drinking. The right behaviour starts from ourselves and our employees are all aware that we have zero tolerance on the issue of drink driving.”
HEINEKEN Malaysia employees are educated on responsible consumption guidelines, and act as advocates for responsible consumption. Employees are briefed on company alcohol policy, road rules and regulations, and the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. We strongly encourage our employees to practice āWhen You Drive, Never Drinkā. Non-compliance against the Companyās policies will result in disciplinary actions including dismissals.
With the aim of incentivising desired behaviour, HEINEKEN Malaysia and its portfolio of brands have partnered with e-hailing services, providing more than 21,000 promo codes and free rides to consumers to date. These codes are provided to encourage consumers to leave their car at home when attending brand events or other social events at partner restaurants and bars.
Beyond encouraging the use of e-hailing as a convenient and safe alternative to driving, HEINEKEN Malaysia also launched HeinekenĀ® 0.0, a dealcoholised beer for people who enjoy the taste of beer but not the effects of alcohol. With HeinekenĀ® 0.0, consumers have an alternative that is not only low in calories (53 calories per serve of 250ml) but also suitable for occasions throughout the day including at work, during lunch, after a work-out or before one needs to drive.