It is safe to say that gone are the days when alcoholic drinks were all the rage. The ultimate party showstoppers were the glistening cans of beer, bottles of wine, and overflowing champagne. However, more and more consumers are choosing to move away from alcoholic drinks to something non-alcoholic. Thanks to this gradual shift, Heineken, a brand well known for its alcoholic drinks, has seen a surge in its non-alcoholic brews.
Zero Alcohol Is All The Rage
Consumers are making a conscious choice of moving away from alcohol and are instead choosing non-alcoholic drinks. With this consumer shift, the traditional beer industry is at crossroads. However, if there is one company that is benefitting from this move, it has to be Heineken.
Heineken, which was largely known for its alcoholic beverages, is seeing a resurgence over the past year. However, much of its success is credited to its zero alcohol drinks. Owing to the success of these offerings, Heineken has decided to go all in with their Heineken 0.0 non-alcoholic beer, launched in 2017.
The resurgence in the popularity of its non-alcoholic beer gave the company an 8.3 percent rise in its operating profits. Moreover, shares also rose up to 12.6 per cent. As of February 2025, the Heineken 0.0 saw a 10 per cent rise year-over-year. Traditional beer saw only about 1.6 per cent rise in the same duration.
What Makes Heineken 0.0 Special?
There must be plenty of zero alcohol drinks in the market, however, Heineken 0.0 remains a clear stand-out. The reason is quite simple – they replicate the taste of their traditional beer. It is made exactly like its alcohol counterpart before the alcohol is removed at the end.
Dolf Van Den Brink, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the company, stated in a quote that their success supports their goal of reinforcing their global leadership in non-alcoholic beer.
Moreover, Heineken 0.0 is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to advertising their product. The company is spending a huge budget on marketing campaigns, such as the ‘0.0 reasons needed’ campaign. This ad campaign aimed to destigmatize the idea of not drinking while having a fun night out. It was also the main sponsor of the U.S. Tennis Open, making it even more visible to the common public as well as the sports world.
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A Shifting Drinking Culture
With more and more consumers realizing the long-term effects of drinking, many are making a health-conscious choice of moving away from alcoholic drinks. Instead, they are more likely to stick to zero alcohol drinks, especially if they replicate the taste and experience of drinking an alcoholic drink.
Heineken 0.0 has identified this pain point and turned this golden opportunity into a major success. According to Euromonitor International, a market-research firm, zero alcohol beer is estimated to have accounted for 2.8% of the global beer market last year. It also forecasted the beer to grow 8.2% in 2025 and 6.5% in 2026.
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Summing Up
Zero alcohol drinks will likely see a surge as consumers are quitting alcohol for health and lifestyle reasons. Additionally, with ad campaigns targeted towards a younger consumer base, these drinks might become the new ‘cool’ phenomenon. Are you too excited to try out non-alcoholic beer over the usual one?
