HEINEKEN APPOINTS NEW GLOBAL MARKETING AGENCIES TO DRIVE NEXT PHASE OF BRAND GROWTH

HEINEKEN has appointed a new lineup of global marketing agencies to enhance brand growth, following a comprehensive review of its marketing agency ecosystem. The announcement, made on May 8, 2026, includes the selection of new Creative, Production, and Media partners intended to support the growth of HEINEKEN's Global and Power Brands portfolio.

Bram Westenbrink, Chief Commercial Officer at HEINEKEN, emphasized that this decision is pivotal to the company’s EverGreen 2030 Growth Strategy. He noted, "This marks a significant step in HEINEKEN’s ambition to build a more streamlined, effective, and future-fit agency model, designed to deliver greater creative impact, operational efficiency, and consistency at scale." He explained that transitioning to fewer but larger agency partners is a critical aspect of their commercial transformation initiative known as Freddy ai.

As part of this new structure, HEINEKEN has reappointed dentsu for Global Media and Publicis for Global secondary Production. The Global Creative roster has been consolidated to three holding companies: Publicis, WPP, and Stagwell, while Creative for the Heineken brand remains with Publicis. This restructuring aims to provide focused support for brands such as Amstel, Birra Moretti, Desperados, and Tiger, enhancing brand-building efforts through improved collaboration and consistency across markets.

Jorn Socquet, Senior Director Global Brand Impact & Growth Transformation at HEINEKEN, remarked that the new agency ecosystem will enable stronger, more distinctive brand development on a larger scale. He added, "By partnering with a smaller number of world-class agencies, we are creating the conditions for deeper collaboration, sharper strategic focus, and more impactful creativity." The implementation of the new agency model will commence immediately, with a phased approach aligned with brand planning cycles to maintain stability within markets.