HEINEKEN Celebrates 19 Wins at the 2025 Golden Drum Awards

​The HEINEKEN Company has shared its recent wins at this year's Golden Drum Festival. Demonstrating the power of creativity and cultural relevance, we have won 19 Drum Awards at one of Europe’s most prestigious advertising and communications events.

The recognition spans multiple campaigns and categories: from film, sustainability, and innovation to brand building, design, and social good. These accolades showcase HEINEKEN's ongoing commitment to harnessing creativity for meaningful brand impact, with their eponymous brand gathering top recognition with the Brand Grand Prix for their outstanding contribution to the industry.

In collaboration with long-standing global agency partner LePub, The HEINEKEN Company earned recognition for standout Heineken® brand projects such as ‘Pub Succession’, 'Starring Bars’, 'The Flipper’, 'Excuses Bar’, and ‘Pub Delivery’, as well as the Desperados brand 'Guao Guao' campaign. As a crowning achievement, HEINEKEN's lead agency LePub was awarded Agency of the Year, affirming the strength of the partnership and its role in delivering innovative, culturally resonant work.

The Heineken Pub Succession project stood out as a creative high point, securing the coveted Grand Prix and 1 Gold in the Engagement category, along with 1 Golden Drum for Brand Building, and a Silver Drum in B2B. This ground breaking project combined compelling brand storytelling with cultural preservation and community engagement, driving a heartfelt recruitment effort to find the next publican for a historic Irish pub.

The Flipper, a witty phone accessory designed to encourage people to put down their phones during social gatherings; by flipping it face down when it ‘heard’ the word cheers, earned three prestigious awards: a Silver Drum in Engagement and two Bronze Drums for Design and Innovation. Developed in collaboration with inventor and YouTuber Simone Giertz, this campaign tackled the growing issue of digital distraction.

Pub Delivery clinched a Bronze Drum in Engagement for its fresh take on delivery and local visibility. Meanwhile, the Starring Bars campaign - transforming bars into authentic film sets for Heineken commercials - garnered an impressive three Awards (two Silver and one Bronze Drum) across Engagement, Sustainable Business Solutions, and B2B. This powerful initiative reinforced HEINEKEN’s purpose-led commitment to supporting the hospitality sector through creative excellence and tangible business support.

The Excuses Bar campaign won a Silver Drum in the OOH category for its playful and inventive approach. Transforming bars into immersive, themed experiences, the campaign cleverly redefined 'excuses' to go out, offering people genuine reasons to reconnect and engage in the real world.

The Desperados brand ‘Guao Guao’ campaign also won big, claiming a prestigious Grand Prix in Film. The campaign's creative excellence was further recognised with 2 Gold and 1 Silver Drum for Motion Craft, 2 Silver across the Film and Sports, Pop Culture & Art categories, and an additional Bronze in Content.

​Nabil Nasser, global head of Heineken, expressed pride in the results, “These wins are a testament to the power of creative courage and the strength of our partnership with LePub. At HEINEKEN, we believe creativity drives business growth and human connection. Whether we’re preserving historic pubs, supporting local bars, or reinventing how people connect in real life, every campaign is rooted in our belief of the importance of protecting socialising. We’re honoured to see this work recognized at Golden Drum.”

​Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of LePub and CCO of LePub Worldwide, added, “Winning Agency of the Year at Golden Drum, alongside this incredible recognition for The HEINEKEN Company, is deeply meaningful. The breadth of the awarded work from social tech to B2B storytelling reflects our shared ambition to merge creativity with impact. These campaigns don’t just perform, they resonate, and they’re born from deep insights, bold strategy, and authentic cultural integration. We’re proud to be on this journey with HEINEKEN, and excited for what’s next.”

List of Awards:

BRAND GRAND PRIX: The HEINEKEN Company

Heineken Brand

Excuses Bar

• Silver Drum in Section One-Channel Drum / group C. Out of Home (OOH) / category Ambient & Experiential

Pub Delivery

• Bronze Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group C. Engagement / category Direct

Pub Succession

• Grand Prix in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group C. Engagement / category Direct
• Golden Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group C. Engagement / category Public & Community Relations
• Golden Drum in Section Creative Business Excellence Drum / group A. Brand Building / category Brand Strategy and Experience
• Silver Drum in Section Creative Business Excellence Drum / group H. B2B / category B2B Brand Strategy & Experience

Starring Bars

• Silver Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group C. Engagement / category Public & Community Relations
• Silver Drum in Section Creative Business Excellence Drum / group D. Sustainable Business Solutions
• Bronze Drum in Section Creative Business Excellence Drum / group H. B2B / category B2B Storytelling

The Flipper

• Silver Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group C. Engagement / category Creative Use of Technology
• Bronze Drum in Section One-Channel Drum / group F. Design / category Product Design
• Bronze Drum in Section Creative Business Excellence Drum / group G. Innovation / category Product or Service Innovation

Desperados

Guao Guao

• Grand Prix in Section One-Channel Drum / group A. Film / category Long Film
• Golden Drum in Section Craft Drum / group B. Motion Craft (Video / Moving Images) / category Casting
• Golden Drum in Section Craft Drum / group B. Motion Craft (Video / Moving Images) / category Original Music
• Silver Drum in Section One-Channel Drum / group A. Film / category TV/Cinema Film
• Silver Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group F. Sports, Pop Culture & Art / category Entertainment
• Silver Drum in Section Craft Drum / group B. Motion Craft (Video / Moving Images) / category Cinematography
• Bronze Drum in Section Omni-Channel Drum / group B. Content / category Films