Heineken, the beer that’s enjoyed in the most cities around the world, has helped build support for innovative urban projects through its “Cities” campaign, which aims to make great cities even greater. Now, Heineken is asking the public to submit their own creative projects that would make a positive and lasting impact on iconic U.S. cities — awarding each winning project with a $20,000 prize and a high-profile crowdfunding campaign to help make them a reality.
Heineken’s Cities campaign previously supported James Murphy’s Subway Symphony in New York, which aims to replace harsh subway turnstile sounds with melodic sounds, and Leo Villareal’s The Bay Lights, which features thousands of LED lights illuminating the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. Now, Heineken has partnered with Indiegogo and Facebook and is asking the public to submit ideas that can span art, music, architecture and more — anything that can make a major impact on culture or the overall enjoyment of some of the best cities in America.
From May 23 to June 30, the public can submit short videos about their projects on Facebook at Bit.ly/HeinekenCitiesProject. Submissions will focus on five cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Honolulu — and will be reviewed by Heineken’s expert panel, which includes leaders from across the country with expertise in design, architecture, the arts and urban culture. Panelists include:
- Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO, National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Marcus Samuelsson, award-winning New York City chef and author
- Dan Brunn, award-winning architect and owner of Dan Brunn Architecture in Los Angeles
- Kóan Jeff Baysa, Honolulu-based curator, designer, physician, and co-founder of the Honolulu Biennial Foundation
“The Heineken Cities campaign has been making great cities even greater for several years now, and we’re excited to expand our mission by inviting the public to submit their own great ideas,” said Ralph Rijks, senior vice president of marketing, Heineken USA. “We’re looking forward to seeing the innovative projects — and we’re even more excited to help make them a reality.”
Once the winning projects are selected, Heineken will award $20,000 in direct support to each winner and will work with Indiegogo to create and promote crowdfunding campaigns, engaging passionate urban explorers across the country to help make the winning ideas a reality. Along the way, Heineken and its partners will also feature promotions, incentives and flash goals that further inspire fans to donate.
“Indiegogo helps projects come to life every day, and we’re excited to partner with Heineken to identify and elevate visionary ideas before a national audience in an entirely new way,” said David Mandelbrot, CEO, Indiegogo. Heineken is the latest company to take part in Indiegogo’s recently launched Enterprise Crowdfunding program.
Miami Marine Stadium Kicks Off Campaign:
To launch the campaign and to provide insight into the types of projects that the Cities campaign will support, Heineken has partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to build support for restoring the world-famous Miami Marine Stadium. Once serving as an iconic hub for major concerts and other prominent arts and cultural events, the Miami Marine Stadium has gone dormant for years. Heineken will help raise awareness and funding for the revitalization effort by providing direct support, launching an Indiegogo campaign this summer and working with the Trust, the City of Miami and other key partners to support the restoration of Miami Marine Stadium and, in turn, celebrating its important place in Miami’s past, present and future.
“Miami Marine Stadium is such a perfect starting point for this year’s Cities campaign, and we’re looking forward to turning this cultural landmark into a place where Miamians can celebrate the best the city has to offer,” Rijks said. “We also hope that this great project helps inspire people elsewhere to submit their great ideas for improving their cities — whether that means reimagining something that already exists, like Miami Marine Stadium, or creating something altogether new.”
In addition to soliciting nominations and creating crowdfunding campaigns, Heineken will share the story of the Cities campaign via Facebook content, exclusive videos, social giveaways and more throughout 2016.