FEATURES: Heineken Beat prevails thanks to good grace

A year ago, many multinational advertisers withdrew their marketing campaign amid the flurry of anti-Western sentiment after the bombing of Belgrade China embassy by Nato. Dutch beer brewer prepared to rock the China capital in its second Heineken Beat open air music festival in May, despite the difficulties in hosting the event for the first time last year. Even now, political issues cannot be taken lightly, said Mr Udo Hoffmann, vice-general manager of the event creator and organiser, Yiren Advertising. Last year, Heineken Beat had to be cancelled at the last minute following the Belgrade bombing. However, the concert was successfully staged two months later, allowing Yiren to build the good relationships needed for this year's events. Heineken Beat was a two-day, open-air music and entertainment concert that made heads turn as East met West in Ritan Park in eastern Beijing. Six bands from China and the West performed in the public park and the open air sacrificial altar, while street performers interacted with the public during the day. Bringing together Chinese modern rock, salsa, afro beat, world music and Britpop, Heineken Beat was the first open-air concert of its kind in Beijing. It was also unique in that culture has so far remained a part of political life and the music industry has been viewed by the authorities with apprehension. "The festival was the first of its kind," said Mr Hoffmann. "But the organisational process was a lot smoother the second time around as everyone involved last year agreed that the concert was big success and knew they could rely on us to be sensitive to their concerns." Mr Hoffmann, who has organised the Beijing Jazz festival for the last eight years and co-created Heineken Beat, recalled: "In the beginning it was difficult to convince companies to sponsor music events because of high risk both politically and financially. "Heineken has been very pleased with the results of the festival. "Over the last year, Heineken's brand awareness in Beijing increased from 60 per cent to 80 per cent. "The event was the talk of the town and extensive TV and radio campaigns before and after the festival ensured other parts of the country were also included in the marketing strategy." The Heineken Beat Festival has been a revolution as a branding and a public awareness exercise for the mainland market and certainly helps open the doors for future events, said Mr Hoffmann. "Event sponsorship will become very important," he said. "Because the population in the cities is becoming more sophisticated, (it has created) the need for a developed entertainment industry. "People want to distinguish themselves from one another and therefore need cultural diversity. "Events provide Chinese consumers with this cultural diversity and this can be funded through sponsorship from the corporate side." As traditional media options become fully exploited in China, new ways of building awareness and placing product need to be found. "While every brand needs individually created campaigns, all events from dance to theatre are areas to be explored in the future," said Mr Hoffmann. Mr Hoffmann, a former teacher, wants to introduce the Chinese audience to as many different music genres as possible and remains a firm believer that cultural diversity is vital for people to creatively interact with their own tradition. "I want to introduce many genres because people can then choose what they like best," he said. By working closely with the authorities to ensure no infringements of China's laws and regulations, Yiren tends to concentrate on the event itself. Indeed, the biggest headache facing Mr Hoffmann was not political at all, but rather, whether the band coming from Cuba would make its flight connections in time for this year's event. Source: CMM Intelligence.

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