Inside Heineken’s limited-edition NA beer campaign at the US Open

The L0ve.L0ve edition’s campaign also comes at a time when Heineken is increasing its focus on capturing a bigger NA beer market share in the U.S. Heineken 0.0 is currently the top-selling NA beer globally. According to Nielsen data, the brand experienced 25.2% sales growth in 2024, on top of 32.3% in 2023. Heineken’s 0.0 beer has grown significantly in the last few years. Since 2021, Heineken says 0.0 has sold over 11.2 million cases. 

Maggie Timoney, president and CEO of Heineken USA, told Modern Retail it took the company decades to perfect its 0.0 beer, which first launched in 2017 in Europe and in 2019 in the U.S. Now that it has been scaled globally, Heineken’s USA division wants to grow it by reaching more people via cultural moments. 

The name is a nod to what’s known as a “love-all” in tennis, or a 0-0 score among two players. The can was first made available exclusively on-site at last year’s U.S. Open, but this year, retail availability helps bring the Love campaign outside of the tennis atmosphere in New York, allowing more fans to purchase these limited-edition cans.

“We’ve been a sponsor of the U.S. Open for over three decades,” Timoney said. Outside of the limited-edition cans, Heineken 0.0. has been sold at U.S. Open matches for the last five years. “This is a huge sponsorship that’s not just on a national platform in the United States, it’s a global event.”

Timoney said sampling is the most effective way to introduce people to Heineken 0.0, with repeat purchase rates currently at about 44%. That’s a big motivator for Heineken to dedicate more ad dollars and marketing initiatives to 0.0. 

Timoney said, last year, the idea for the L0ve.L0ve came up right before the matches, so the company wasn’t prepared for the high demand throughout the two-week tournament. “The supply was the main challenge, and we ran out of stock the first week,” Timoney said.

This year, Timoney said, Heineken worked ahead of time to secure inventory distribution for the tournament, as well as the company’s retail partners. These include major grocery chains and independent stores. “This year, we had time to do a whole retail program and present it to retailers late last year, and they’re really excited about it,” Timoney said.

The L0ve.L0ve campaign during the U.S. Open is one example among several ways Heineken is trying to break through with its nonalcoholic offerings during cultural moments. “It’s another way to activate and shine the spotlight on Heineken 0.0,” Timoney said. “We were also at Coachella this year, where Heineken 0.0 was up 125.5% over the prior year.” The 0.0 beer was also featured prominently in the “F1” film this summer.

Being a nonalcoholic product opens up doors for marketing opportunities in public spaces. Depending on the region, it’s often difficult to offer free alcoholic samples. NA beer has allowed Heineken to explore more activations, which Timoney said is important to converting customers. 

To support the U.S. Open L0ve.L0ve cans, Heineken is doing a Grand Central Station takeover during the tournament, from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7. The takeover will also include out-of-home ads throughout the station and appearances by influencer partners to promote it. The company will also hand out L0ve.L0ve beer cans at multiple locations throughout Grand Central, including the Graybar Passage near Track 17 and the dining concourse. Timoney said many match attendees get to the Queens stadiums via the famous transit hub, making it ideal for a sampling activation. “We’re making the commuters’ life a bit more refreshing by handing it out in a very unique way,” she said. 

But marketing is just one part of the equation to drive more NA sales. Heineken is one of the brewers that has invested in improving the quality of non-alcoholic beers over the years. The increase in improved recipes and variety has attracted people who are interested in cutting back on alcohol without sacrificing taste. In turn, NA beer options are becoming more prominent on menus, as they now appeal to a wider audience. 

“It took 20 years for our master brewers to crack the taste of a non-alcoholic beer that can be part of a lifestyle of different occasions,” Timoney explained. Twenty years ago, Timoney said, the non-alcoholic beer off-premise beer market in the U.S. was about 0.4%. “We are now at about 1.3%,” she said. “We see now that 90% of shoppers who buy alcohol also buy a non-alcoholic beer.” 

According to a January 2025 Beer Institute survey, 60% of Americans see low- and non-alcoholic beer as viable alternatives for long-term moderation, a 2% increase over 2024.

Beer is also leading the category over other NA options, with 22% of respondents preferring non-alcoholic beer over other NA beverages. Meanwhile, 10% prefer NA liquor and 13% prefer NA wine. Nonalcoholic beer sales are also beginning to eclipse some traditional beer varieties, most recently surpassing ale beer by volume.

Oren Bitan, chair of Buchalter’s wine, beer and spirits industry law group, said that NA beer is a “bright spot” in the declining beer market. 

“It makes perfect sense that a big supplier like Heineken would double down in the space and try and capture some of that market share,” Bitan said. On-premise marketing at entertainment and sporting events is a major opportunity for trial, he continued. 

“On premise, more people want to have a drink in their hand that’s not necessarily alcoholic,” Bittan said. “NA beer still has that social element to it.” 

Heineken USA is betting on these shifts in perception and drinkers’ behavior to drive more trials of Heineken 0.0. Timoney said that the company will continue to offer its original beers at these events, but wants to promote 0.0 as an additional option.

“What we want to do is to make moderation cool,” Timoney said, “whether you drink alcohol or you don’t drink alcohol.”