Mourinho in Heineken’s new UEFA Champions League campaign

In a bid to give more verve to the UEFA Champions League, official sponsors, Heineken has unveiled a new TV commercial, called ‘Prep Talk’, featuring two-time UEFA Champions League winning manager, Jose Mourinho, and shot by award-winning film director, Guy Ritchie.

The commercial is part of Heineken’s ‘Champion the Match’ campaign on TV and digital channels and coincide with the new 2016/17 season. Mourinho in the TVC deliver a passionate and motivational address to fans across the globe, challenges them to prepare for match night, no matter where they are in the world and no matter what time zone they are in.

“Heineken has been on the touchline with me through my whole UEFA Champions League career. I like what the brand stands for especially its stance on responsible drinking. Filming the Prep Talk was a new, and very enjoyable, experience. Guy Ritchie is a great coach, and definitely got the best out of me,” Mourinho said.

Speaking about the new TVC, Senior Director Global Heineken brand at HEINEKEN, Gianluca Di Tondo said, “Preparing for UEFA Champions League match night makes the experience even better. With a little bit of thought and effort, fans and their friends will have a greater experience. But sometimes a little inspiration is needed, and who better to motivate them to ‘Champion the Match’ than Jose Mourinho.”

He noted that HEINEKEN as an international brewer is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the group has a powerful portfolio of more than 250 international, regional, local and specialty 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 approximately 81,000 people and operate more than 160 breweries in 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam,” Di Tondo added.

The film, created by Publicis Italia, marks the eleventh year of Heineken brand partnership with the UEFA Champions League. The campaign includes global and regional variations of the film to suit different fan viewing behaviour around the world. This includes bespoke break and match bumpers, as well as promo tags. The campaign will launch in over 90 countries and run throughout the 2016/17 season.

On ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly (EHR),’ Di Tondo explained it is the group’s global brand-led approach to promote responsible consumption, which was first launched in 2004, adding that HER is the flagship of the brand’s commitments.

“We are of course promoting responsible consumption throughout our brand portfolio. As an industry leader, we believe we should lead by example, playing an active role in promoting responsible and moderate consumption of alcohol. HEINEKEN employees are ambassadors for our responsible consumption agenda and, around the world; many markets have developed tailored activations to spread the message locally. We also work in partnership with many stakeholders to encourage responsible attitudes and to understand and address alcohol misuse,” he stated