Heineken Designing The Club of the Future

Consumer insights inspire

the nightlife experience

of tomorrow

Senior Research Innovator, InSites Consulting

Thomas Troch

Concept Development Manager On-Premise, Heineken International

Caroline van Hoff

Background in Industrial Design

[email protected]

@thomastroch

Combining research with creativity is the perfect recipe for a great party!

The Heineken concept club (Milan, April 2012)

The historical legacy behind Heineken’s

design credence is what led the brand

to pursue its progressive roots

and encourage emerging designers.

The Heineken STR bottle

Mark Van Iterson – Head of Global Design, Heineken International

“Clubs are really interesting

spaces for us to explore new

design ideas, as they’re social,

extrovert and progressive

places where design really sets

the scene for the nightlife

experience.”

Challenges

Involve consumers in a vision of the future?

Engage trendy clubbers from all over the world?

Report findings to designers for maximum impact?

Facilitate co-creation among the design team?

Select ideas and create consistency?

How to create the club of tomorrow?

Join forces with a multidisciplinary group of designers

Crowdsourcing emerging designers

via social media

Making the final selection on Pecha Kucha nights

in Milan, New York, Sao Paulo & Tokyo

Designers get their inspiration from

life in the city, the club scene,

each other, their expert coaches,

the Heineken brand and of course…

clubbers!

How to create the club of tomorrow?

Join forces with a multidisciplinary group of designers

Connect with clubbers and understand their journey

Understanding the journey of clubbers

PARTICIPANTS

COUNTRIES

clubbing

design-savvy

Heineken

RESEARCH

carefully screened group of consumers

gathered around a common interest

RESEARCH

carefully screened group of consumers

gathered around a common interest

joining a closed online platform

longitudinal connection

managed by passionate moderators

RESEARCH

carefully screened group of consumers

gathered around a common interest

joining a closed online platform

longitudinal connection

managed by passionate moderators

needs beliefs

perceptions

motivations

underlying emotions

aspirations

The Heineken concept club community

Clubbing experience

Role of clubbing Review of the

Ideal experience

nightlife experience

Process

MROC with 120 clubbers

MROC with designers, coaches, the Heineken team

and clubbers

Selection of designers Selection and development of ideas

Launch

"We collaborated in an online hub,

a kind of virtual creative lab. It

was bridging all continents and

time zones, stimulating cross

fertilization and kept the creative

juices flowing through new

progress, new insights, new

briefs."

Mark Van Iterson – Head of Global Design, Heineken International

How to create the club of tomorrow?

Join forces with a multidisciplinary group of designers

Connect with clubbers and understand their journey

Approach the nightlife experience as service design

Core potential of an insight

IT’S ME AHA! X I never thought of it like this before

You understand me

Branding potential of an insight

Innovation potential of an insight

Connecting Discovering Getting a drink

Dancing Cooling down Ending the night

The layout takes a cue from

the nightlife journey of clubbers

Join forces with a multidisciplinary group of designers

Connect with clubbers and understand their journey

Approach the nightlife experience as service design

The result?

Queuing in front of the club is

always so boring! It should be

possible to already have a first

glimpse of the vibes, it will make it

worth waiting and build up my

excitement.

The origami element at the entrance links the outside to

the inside of the club and hints at the interior design.

Great staff member are critical in

shaping my night, they are the

face of the club. They should fit

the identity of the place and

radiate positive energy, most of

the time this isn’t the case.

The staff is dressed in vibrant futuristic outfits,

in line with the ‘Changing perspectives’ theme of the club.

The first moment of meeting up is

only about my friends. It would be

cool if we could create and tweak

our very own atmosphere.

The biggest video bottle wall in the world reacts on sound

and features live images of the clubbers.

It is so frustrating not to be

noticed by the bartender! I’m

clearly trying to get his attention,

however others are being served

before me.

The bar is interactive and allows you to order a beer,

it even keeps track of who is next in line.

I’m at the bar for different

reasons; sometimes just to quickly

get a drink, but I may also be

catching up with my friends or

having a chat with an interesting

stranger.

The interactive bar surface entertains and connects

people in playful ways.

I like having a unique drink that

has a story to tell. This experience

emphasizes the identity and

authenticity of the club and

provides me with an exclusive

story worth sharing.

The limited edition bottle alters it’s appearance

under different types of light and is accompanied

by origami serving trays and openers.

For me dancing is a great way to

release my energy and to loose

my inhibitions; it would be great if

there was enough space to really

go wild!

Leave your drink on the numbered shelf

and go crazy on the dance floor.

We are all a bit looser while

dancing, this is a great opportunity

to connect with new people and

the DJ; too often I’m only

surrounded by the same people.

Video mapping and a 3D origami star let the dance floor

become a playground, measuring the energy of the dancers

and allowing the DJ to adjust accordingly.

In-between dancing I like to give

my senses a break. I want to

revitalize before going back onto

the dance floor.

The angular seating in the lounge area

calms the senses.

Clubbers are invited to express their thoughts

on an origami-shaped wall.

When we head home, we cherish

the great moments we had. It

would be amazing if there was

some kind of way to remember

the night and share it.

Instant pictures provide you with

a tangible memory to take home.

It’s awful when we get kicked out

when the club closes! The least

they could do is check up on us to

make sure we had a great night,

are in need for a last drink or a

cab.

When it’s time to move on, a friendly concierge

will guide clubbers onwards, giving directions

and arranging cabs home.

Challenges

Involve consumers in a vision of the future?

Engage trendy clubbers from all over the world?

Report findings to designers for maximum impact?

Facilitate co-creation among the design team?

Select ideas and create consistency?

The Heineken concept club

Design proves to be one of the most powerful tools to create a memorable journey, the connection with clubbers results in a relevant and impactful experience.

[email protected]

@thomastroch