Heineken, the world’s most valuable international premium beer brand, has appointed Red Agency following a competitive pitch as its public relations partner to further build its presence in market and drive brand engagement and advocacy among its target audience.

Red Agency is charged with developing and amplifying Heineken’s ‘Man of the World’ positioning, primarily aimed at reaching and engaging ‘confident, resourceful and adventurous men’ across Australia. Following the brand’s successful Rugby World Cup activity, Heineken will launch a series of activations in the coming months. This will include supporting its long-running sponsorship of the Australian Open in January 2016, led by its famous Heineken Saturday activation on the middle Saturday of the tournament. More details will be announced soon.

The Agency will develop an ongoing strategic public relations campaign, including running a dedicated influencer program and evolving content partnerships with key opinion formers. Additionally, the agency will manage a major new product launch in 2016.

James Wright, Managing Director of Red Agency, said: “As a keen Heineken drinker myself, I know the legendary reputation it has and the role it plays in social occasions in bars, restaurants and homes around the world. Whilst it already has great awareness in market our challenge is to bring fans closer to the brand and dial up the key brand traits that makes Heineken unique. As a bold and aspirational brand we are excited by the possibilities of where we can take it.”

Alessandro Manunta, Heineken Marketing Manager, said: “Red Agency share our philosophy and strategic mindset for what we want to do with the brand and how we want to connect with our audience. We have big plans and ambitions for 2016 and we’re delighted to bring the stand-out Red Agency team on board as a new partner to help us take Heineken to the next level as we continue to evolve our marketing activity.”