Heineken transforms laundromats into 24-hour sports bars targeting South Korean football fans
Heineken has turned 24-hour laundromats into all-night sports bars so that Korea’s most dedicated football fans could tune in to watch the UEFA Champions League.
Inspired by the fact that Asia is home to some of the world’s most ''hardcore'' football fans – so devoted, they’ll wake up at 3am or 4am to watch UEFA Champions League games live – Heineken® wanted to provide a location for fans to watch UEFA Champions League matches. When most bars are closed and watching alone at home is the only other option, Heineken® created 'LaundroMatch'.
In partnership with WashEnjoy, one of South Korea’s largest laundromat franchises, Heineken transformed 24-hour laundromats into 24-hour sports bars at locations across the country.
Giwoun Park, Marketing Director, Heineken Korea. “Heineken believes that being a ‘real hardcore’ football fan isn’t about how you look, it’s about how you behave – anyone who wakes up at ridiculous hours to watch their team, names their pets after their icons, or wears their lucky pair of socks during matches qualifies as hardcore. We wanted to celebrate Asia’s hardcore fans who truly live and breathe the sport in a positive, sometimes quirky way. And what could be quirkier than staying up all night to watch the UEFA Champions League at a laundromat.”
Opening 3am (KST) on 10-11 April with two consecutive events, fans flocked to WashEnjoy Laundry Park at 6 Beobwon-ro 4-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea to watch teams compete in two different matches. Four all-expense paid trips to the final UEFA Champions League 2024 match on 1 June were also up for grabs: a dream-come-true experience.
From now until June, South Korea’s fans will be able to scan QR codes found at WashEnjoy laundromats nationwide to access complimentary 30-day SPOTV subscriptions, so they can enjoy the UEFA Champions League quarter and semi-finals at a nearby Heineken LaundroMatch.
As a long-time sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, Heineken recently launched a global campaign called “Cheers To The Real Hardcore Fans” in February 2024, which redefines what it means to be a “real hardcore fan” in an effort to make football more inclusive.
With the launch of ‘LaundroMatch’, Heineken is bringing the ‘Cheers To The Real Hardcore Fans’ platform to Asia with the goal of connecting with a wider range of fans worldwide and making Heineken® the global beer of choice during the UEFA Champions League.
