Copyright Forbes
Could Heineken — the 160-year-old beer brand — be among the most pioneering heritage brands in the world? It’s no secret that many heritage brands — from luxury fashion houses to fine jewelry ateliers to heritage tea brands — are struggling to stay relevant. They’ve mastered legacy, structure, and consistency — but in a world fueled by speed, chaos, and creation, those same strengths have become their biggest traps. And that’s why Heineken’s story feels so unexpected. Here’s a beer brand that’s been around for more than a century and a half — older than several luxury houses that trade on heritage — yet it has remained top of mind, more creative, and more culturally fluent with every passing day. Heineken isn’t reinventing beer every year to keep pace with a fast-evolving audience — it’s reimagining how a heritage brand can play, clash, and stretch itself to stay culturally alive. And with the launch of its innovation lab, Heineken Studio, earlier this year, the brand is showing no signs of slowing down. So what do I think today’s heritage leaders learn from one of the most pioneering brands of our time? Mastering the Play MORE FOR YOU The first thing Heineken Studio teaches us is the strategic importance of play — you know — that free-form, unstructured, and experimental kind that most boardroom-loving leaders are terrified of? Countless heritage brands suffocate their boldest, most relevant ideas before they’re even seen the light of day by continuously questioning the value of play or wanting guarantees far too early in the process. But as I emphasize in The Kim Kardashian Principle, leaders must be open-minded to build brands that gain and retain relevance. At Heineken Studio, these brand values translate into a culture where employees feel safe to take risks without being penalized. The studio itself has few written guidelines for its innovation hub, which means ideas can bend, break, reform — and sometimes they’re tested just to see what they unlock — there’s always a learning. This playful spirit is embedded in the Heineken Studio x Axel Chay collaboration itself — from the bright, peach- and pineapple-infused lager to the playful, tubular glassware inspired by Marseille’s social bars. It’s both functional and fun, embodying Chay’s postmodern flair and Heineken’s creative courage And the approach, I believe, especially makes sense today given play isn’t just a means to an end but has become the native language of the social media generation. Think TikTok videos where everyone’s playing to live, to create, to express, to build identity. Studies back me up by consistently showing the power of play in brand building — how it’s a direct predictor of creativity and performance in organizations, and how by providing the permission to play, you can create a positive feedback loop: a culture of psychological safety, which in turn fuels even more risk-taking and creativity. When Worlds Collide The second lesson Heineken studio teaches heritage brands is that innovation must embrace friction. It’s the power of cultural clashes — the collision of perspectives and disciplines that produce superior results at the organization. Yet leaders often shy away from the benefits of creative tension in the workplace. Research shows how cross-disciplinary teams generate more innovative ideas because they force brands to confront their blind spots. One study of 75 brands found that when diverse minds collaborate, the result isn’t just chaos, it’s greater innovation, performance, and richer business model creativity. Another study on brand identity co-creation showed that involving external cultural tastemakers can extend a brand’s identity without compromising its core positioning. In other words: clash, when engineered intelligently, doesn’t dilute a brand — it supercharges it. That’s why at Heineken Studio, brewmasters sit next to designers, artists, DJs, tastemakers — even flavor theorists. As one of Heineken’s master marketers and its Global Head of Brand and Communications, East London-born Joseph Brophy believes in the power of cultural clashes and how ideas shouldn’t stay in their lane — they’re meant to break out of them. That’s how Marseille’s salt becomes a brew note. Design rituals become social moments. Product becomes culture. And the output feels contemporary because it’s built from contemporary voices. Heritage brands must recognize that culture itself is collision. Every trend, every movement, every aesthetic shift is created from the friction of unexpected influences meeting each other. And I’d say when clever brands like Heineken embrace the culture, they not only embed it to build a strong cultural currency but start to shape it. Brand Without Borders The third lesson Heineken Studio teaches us is that heritage isn’t something you just protect — it’s something you stretch, expand, and evolve. I’ve never believed relevance for heritage brands comes from simply repeating who you used to be. The marketplace is too competitive today, and audiences are too savvy and discerning. The brands that last are the ones that expand their meaning as culture shifts around them. And expanding meaning requires something many leaders avoid like the plague: giving up total control. Allowing collaborators, creators, and even consumers to influence how your brand shows up. Staying silent in your audience but empowering them to speak up about your brand — the good, the bad, and the ugly. And in turn, allowing your world to get bigger, not smaller. Research supports this. One study found that when brands open up their identity to external cultural collaborators, they actually strengthen brand equity — as long as they remain anchored in their core. Another study shows that teams blending cultural, technical, and creative voices produce more original work precisely because the collision forces them into new ways of thinking. That’s what I see happening at Heineken Studio, especially through its new collaboration with Marseille-born designer Axel Chay — a partnership that merges brewing innovation, artistic vision, and cultural storytelling. Together, they’ve created a bespoke seasoned lager and a limited-edition ‘Social Set’—a tray, coaster, and glassware designed to reimagine the act of sharing a drink as a creative ritual.” Heineken isn’t just experimenting with flavor; they’re experimenting with meaning. The Chay brew, the bespoke can, the Social Set — each one signals a new behavior, a new ritual, a new interpretation of what Heineken represents in people’s lives. And a larger attempt to shape the culture. Relevance Is an Attitude The beer category has always pushed forward by those willing to innovate. Because, by and large, the ingredients themselves haven’t changed much over the years. So it’s no coincidence that the Heineken Studio x Axel Chay collaboration will debut in Marseille — the designer’s hometown and a symbolic return to the brand’s social roots. Because at its heart, this isn’t just about beer. It’s about culture, connection, and the courage to keep evolving. Pioneering beer brands and their leaders, understand one thing: staying ahead means staying close. It means developing an extraordinarily deep understanding of audiences — how their behaviors shift, how they socialize, and what those rituals really mean. That demands not just empathy but creative agility — the ability to continuously reinvent without ever losing your core. So to all the heritage brand leaders who see themselves as part of open-minded, forward-thinking cultures — are you really being open-minded? Or are you just being inclusive of your own kind? Because if your brand is struggling to connect with today’s audience, there’s likely a bubble there. A disconnect. Maybe it’s time to ditch the champers — and pop open a bottle of Heineken. Because staying relevant today isn’t about holding on tighter, and it’s not about forgetting who you are either. I’mma say it’s about loosening your grip just enough to let the world back in.
