Heineken’s Formula 1 sponsorship is anchored by its alcohol-free product, Heineken 0.0. However, in practice, this is typical alibi marketing: using a niche product as cover to keep alcohol branding embedded in one of the world’s most high-profile sports.
The contradiction is clear. Heineken’s F1 deal is estimated to around 300 million dollars, while non-alcoholic beer accounts for only around 2 percent of global beer volumes according to IWSR. Sales of Heineken 0.0 hardly justify such an enormous sponsorship. The real purpose is likely to secure global brand visibility that strengthens Heineken’s alcohol portfolio.
The Big Alcohol Annual Report 2024 describes Heineken 0.0 as a “Trojan horse for alcohol marketing.” By leveraging its alcohol-free line, Heineken secures advertising space and brand recognition far beyond 0.0 itself. This mirrors Big Tobacco’s surrogate marketing playbook, when cigarette companies pushed brand extensions like clothing or soft drinks to maintain visibility after advertising bans. Heineken is using the same tactic today to sustain alcohol’s presence under a façade of responsibility.
The impact of this marketing scheme has only grown with the global popularity of Formula 1. The Netflix series Drive to Survive has transformed the sport into a cultural phenomenon, especially among younger audiences. Studies show the average age of F1 viewers has dropped by more than a decade, with engagement among young people increasing significantly. In the United States, a large share of fans cite the series as the reason they began following F1, and online conversations about the sport are now dominated by the 18–24 age group. This dramatic expansion has turned F1 into prime advertising territory—and Heineken’s logos, whether attached to 0.0 or regular beer, are now deeply embedded in the imagery consumed by millions of young fans.
Promotion, or any marketing strategies, is Big Alcohol’s activity to drive alcohol availability and acceptability, to perpetuate the alcohol norm, and to place alcohol at the center of people’s thoughts and preferences, communities’ practices, and societies’ customs. The focus of this Dubious Five strategy is the people and their beliefs about alcohol products, the public and their attitudes about and behavior around alcohol products, and the consumers and how much, how often they buy and consume alcohol brands.
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The Sneaky Strategy Behind F1’s Alcohol-Free Beer Advertisements