Monthly Archives: April 2019

Heineken® Brings Soccer Legend, Andrea Pirlo And The UEFA Champions League Trophy To New York City

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Heineken® & the Italian soccer icon link up to offer New York fans “Unmissable” moments during the tour, including a match viewing party and rare trophy engagements

White Plains, NY – April 16, 2019 (PRNewswire) The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® is bringing Champions League icon and legend of the game, former A.C. Milan, Juventus and New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo, back to New York.

The tour provides soccer fans around the world with a chance to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and to heroes of the game. In its twelve-year history, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken has reached 31 countries across Africa, Asia, North and South America. This year’s tour will visit New York City by way of Yankee Stadium on April 27 at a New York City FC match and the Seaport District on April 30, with additional surprise consumer touchpoints throughout.

Heineken’s 2018/19 UEFA Champions League campaign entitled, ‘Unmissable’ is based on the belief that every UEFA Champions League match has unmissable moments of action for everyone to enjoy. Heineken is bringing these moments to life for soccer fans across the globe by providing them with unforgettable event experiences, enabling them to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and legends of the game.

As part of its global campaign, the 2019 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will stop in New York from April 27 to April 30. For four days, fans will have a rare opportunity to take photos with the UEFA Champions League Trophy, meet Andrea Pirlo and experience the thrill of the tour throughout New York City.

Andrea Pirlo is considered one of the best players of his generation, having won the 2006 World Cup for Italy, two Champions League trophies with AC Milan, and six Serie A titles in his time between Milan and Juventus, while also collecting three Serie A Footballer of the Year awards with the latter. Pirlo has a historic link to the UEFA Champions League and plays a significant role in demonstrating the intense passion for the tournament.

“Love for the beautiful game across the U.S. continues to skyrocket and we’re excited to give fans access to an unmissable experience with the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken®,” said Bjorn Trowery, Director of External Communications at Heineken USA. “New York City is the crossroads of the world, and we can’t wait to offer supporters a chance to get close to one of the world’s most celebrated trophies, while offering up some incredible moments alongside Heineken.”

To kick off Heineken’s ‘Unmissable’ campaign in New York City, the UEFA Champions League Trophy will be unveiled at New York’s iconic Yankee Stadium on April 27, giving consumers the official first look ahead of the NYCFC vs. Orlando City soccer match.

Following on April 30, UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will host a one-of-a-kind outdoor viewing event for consumers to catch the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals match and enjoy Heineken 0.0 down in the Seaport District. The viewing party will be open to the public, and consumers will have the chance to meet legend Andrea Pirlo and take photos with the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

This year, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will visit in South Africa, Namibia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Indonesia, China, Nigeria and USA

To follow the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® on social, visit @Heineken and use #Unmissable and #UCLTrophyTour.

Editorial information:
For more information, please contact:
Caitlin Fay, 212.729.2495, Caitlin.Fay@edelman.com

About HEINEKEN:
HEINEKEN is the world’s most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken® brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 250 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through “Brewing a Better World”, sustainability is embedded in the business and delivers value for all stakeholders. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 80,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN’s website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp.

About the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken®:
The Trophy Tour is a chance for football fans around the world to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy. Our 2018/19 campaign – ‘Unmissable Moments’ – will see fan experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of the match activated across the globe. The Trophy Tour concept was developed to enable fans everywhere to be able to get closer to the UEFA Champions League competition, particularly those who would normally only be able to experience the competition through watching it on the television. Over 60% of UEFA Champions League fans enjoy the competition from outside Europe, so through the Trophy Tour, Heineken® helps UEFA to extend the reach to a global fan base in key markets.

Key Dates:

Trophy Tour Stop 1 – South Africa 4 – 6 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 2 – Namibia 7 – 8 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 3 – Indonesia 11 – 17 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 4 – Mozambique 6 – 7 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 5 – China 9 – 13 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 6 – Nigeria 16 – 18 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 7 – USA 27 – 30 April 2019
UEFA Champions League Final – Madrid 1 June 2019

5 Tips to Jump Start Your Supporters Club Website

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Whether starting a new supporters club or trying to find an existing one, the foundation is the strength of the conversations and content within it. Those conversations go a long way to assure the longevity of the community.

Life, online or off, is built on a series of relationships, those with our family, friends, and fellow fans. Part of the process is the introduction and sharing of basic information, to establish a comfort level and open channels of communications.

Creating this comfort then allows the community to connect more with each other by sharing common interests, goals and ideas. Building upon the contribution of each member you will then see more organic growth in the community as well as “natural moderators” will begin to establish themselves to help in maintaining the desired tone and direction of the community.

These 5 “no fail” tips and techniques will help you keep your focus, refine your tone and build a strong and engaged community with longevity.

1. Be Welcoming, Be Disarming
Each time a new member joins your community gives them the opportunity to introduce themselves. The best way to do this is to establish a set of between three and five questions for each member to answer.

Making these questions fun and non-threatening will encourage the new community members to engage, be at ease and “let their hair down”. Of course, the tone of the community will determine how “silly” these questions would be, but keeping it “light” will help gain more interaction from your community members.

Some sample questions along these lines are:

  • “Who is your favorite player?”
  • “Tell us how you became a fan”
  • “What was the best goal we ever scored?”

It’s like an online icebreaker. Ask silly, even ridiculous, questions of your members. Don’t be afraid, even in a serious forum, this allows people to connect in ways that are non-threatening and create a comfortable environment despite the tone of the serious topic that might be involved.

Believe it or not, it is often more difficult for someone to share serious answers than silly answers.

2. It’s OK to Lurk
Everyone was new to online communities at one point. Try to encourage interaction and engagement, but recognize that some people might just want to watch (lurk) and adjust before they dive in.

Often times those that spend the most time lurking end up being the most engaged in the long run. Some people just need more time to adjust and acclimate to a new environment.

It is actually preferable to have someone lurk and acclimate to the tone of a community rather than jump in prematurely and risk being misunderstood, this could result in a lot of turmoil within a community.

3. Encourage Engagement, Be Appreciative, Be an Example
Actively engaged community members create opportunities for existing or new members to connect with each other, establishing a solid communal relationship. Be sure to thank people for posting, also try to positively acknowledge participation at any level.

Be a guide, or a signpost, direct your community to great content of community members, inside the community or outside, and bring the conversations to them. Be an example, by linking and sharing outside content but housing the discussion within your community.

4. Promote Great Community Contributions and Content
A solid community needs to be fed to continue to grow that community. That food is demonstrated by promoting the community and member contributions. Make it a habit to regularly promote your community members.

The conversations and sharing are the lifeblood into other social networks. By doing this you will be promoting your community and the members, helping others find you and ensuring continued growth in your community.

5. Appreciate Everything, Don’t Take Community for Granted
Appreciate your community. Understand that each and every member has made a choice to be a part of the community, and recognize that it’s a choice for them to remain in the community.

Never take your community for granted, if you do you will discover that they can quickly move on to what they perceive to be “Greener Pastures”. Keep it fresh, keep it lively. This is where building a community on a topic you are passionate about makes it a lot easier to grow and maintain.

If you keep these 5 tips top of mind and try to make a habit of doing these things, you will guarantee your success is building and nurturing an amazing community!