Heineken is famous for its attempts at fun and innovative social marketing. Heineken's hidden camera event on the day of the match between Italy's AC Milan and Spain's Real Madrid C.F. in UEFA Champions League 2009/10 is considered one of the most successful social media marketing campaign. The 5-minute or so video shows a fake event organized by Heineken who asked girlfriends, professors and bosses of AC Milan fans to bring their respective boyfriends, students and employees to a fake classical music concert on the day the two football giants played against each other. More than 1,000 AC Milan fans had to miss the game and reluctantly sit for about 15 minutes watching the concert looking bored and gloomy. And then suddenly, the screen on the stage shows the playful words "Hard to say no to your boss, isn't it? To your girlfriend?" And the musicians shift from playing classical music to the Champions League anthem. The fans start cheering and applauding at the sudden change of situation. With the final message on the screen saying, "How could you even have thought of missing the big match?", Heineken logo appears on screen. The screen then changes to show the start of the match. I personally found this YouTube video captivating and amazing.

 Heineken's witty and moving event that gave AC Milan fans a memory they won't forget for the rest of their lives was viewed by 1.5 million people on Sky Sport and 10 million saw them on the news the day after. This event was exposed to over 5 million visitors on the Internet worldwide in two weeks after the event. The cost of organizing this event would have been quite high, including planning, arranging for broadcast and renting the venue. But the cost looks to be worth it considering the countless number of shares and the impact it still has until now.

 As can be seen in this case, Heineken is adored and loved for its distinct identity and concept. Heineken was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Last summer, I was in Amsterdam for about 10 hours during a transfer from my vacation in Italy to back home. I had the chance to look around Amsterdam for about half a day and my choice was, without question, to visit Heineken Experience.

 Heineken Experience is located in a place less than 20 minutes away from Amsterdam Central Station by tram. You can book tickets for Heineken Experience via its website. Online ticket purchase is 2 dollars cheaper than buying on-site. I couldn't make reservations beforehand, so I waited in line for about 30 minutes to get a ticket for 18 dollars. The ticket includes a wristband with two green tokens on it, which you can exchange for two glasses of cold Heineken draft beer. I recommend that you purchase tickets online because they say you might have to wait several hours if you are planning to buy tickets on-site during weekends.

 While standing in line to buy a ticket, I was trying hard to ignore the curious looks people were giving to me, an Asian visitor travelling alone. Eventually, the middle-aged couple behind me started to talk to me. The friendly couple told me that they lived nearby and that they visited the place at least once or twice a month. The conversation started with them asking me where I was from and how I knew about the Netherlands and ended with them telling me how much they loved Heineken.

 When I was still in line waiting, an elderly couple, who had finished their tour, approached me and gave me a token to exchange for beer. The elderly woman told me that they visit Heineken Experience every time they are in Amsterdam because her husband loves Heineken, but warmly said, "I don't like beer so much, so why don't you enjoy my beer instead." There were many big young men around me who looked as if they could drink beer by the oak cask. So, I thought that she showed me kindness hoping that this stranger would enjoy Amsterdam and Heineken by giving me the token and not anyone else. I was feeling happy entering Heineken Experience. I could tell how much Dutch people valued and adored the brand Heineken. I was deeply impressed to see every visitor voluntarily supporting Heineken as if they were ambassadors.

 The first thing that caught my eyes entering Heineken Experience was a welcoming message saying 'we like you just the way you are' regardless of national origin, skin color, religion or financial status. I looked around and saw people of different gender, age and country come together. I thought that such openness was a strong pillar of Heineken's brand identity.

 After admiring the changes of the Heineken logo, visitors are met with a Heineken crew who explained about the brewing process and ingredients. It may be the experience of talking in front of a big audience many times, but the crew member's speaking skills were better than most comedians. Visitors applauded at the crew's explanation of how the simple ingredients of water, barely, hops, and yeast create the refreshing taste of Heineken beer. It was as if we were watching him perform a play. His sincerity was shown in the way he asked questions to the crowd, explained the types of beer in different countries with a sense of wit and in saying how much he liked Heineken.

 Another thing that inspired and amazed me about the crew at Heineken Experience was how they were considerate of people like me, travelling alone, to not feel left out. There was no room for being bored looking around the place, but crew members throughout the tour approached tourists who came alone and made sure they were not left out of the experience programs. And their approach was not at all uncomfortable or disrespectful. They seem to truly want everyone, whoever they may be, to enjoy the world of Heineken.

 Taking in the history of Heineken and intently listening to the crew's passionate words, the tour brings us to its highlight – sampling Heineken's fresh beer. The crew in this area handed out small glasses of Heineken beer to the crowd and asked to raise glasses together in a toast, while enjoying the beautiful golden color and bubbles rising to the surface of the glass. (The beer sampled here does not require an exchange of token.) The refreshing taste filled my mouth and went down my throat smoothly. It was the best lager I ever had. I thought this moment of showing the crowd the best power of product was when the visitors got excited and enjoyed the beer.

 There was a fun corner in Heineken Experience called 'The brew you ride.' About 30 people are grouped together to enter a container-type of space after waiting in line, like people getting on a roller coaster ride. A peculiar sense of tension filled the air as crew members, who had become friends by now, only smiled back without explanation when questioned about what was happening. We found out that it was literally experiencing the process of brewing Heineken beer with us, the crowd, as grains of barley. The brewing process was shown on the big screen in front and the floor shook when the grains of barley were being roasted, vapor was released into the air when water was poured, and hot mist suddenly came out of nowhere when heat was used to brew beer. It was fun for grown-ups to enjoy like they were young innocent children exclaiming 'wow~' every time. After experiencing myself what grains of barley go through to be brewed into beer, I was in awe of Heineken for its adorable idea. It made me think; since we are a cosmetics company, a popup store experience for our customers of becoming cosmetics ingredients, mixing with other ingredients, mixing with water and then being packaged after being sterilized would be a fun idea too.

 Finally, the part of the tour that left a deep impression on me was the Media Room. You enter a space displaying the history of Heineken commercials when you exit the 'The brew you ride,' feeling inspired like a grain of barley made into beer. I think people are deeply moved by the commercials especially because they start to identify themselves with Heineken around this time of the tour. The most eye-catching message among the many advertisements was 'Drink responsibly.' The legendary winner of three F1 World Championships, Sir Jackie Stewart, stars in this series. There is a scene of him refusing a drink saying 'I'm still driving' at a party celebrating victory and offering drinks. And the message reads, 'When you drive, never drink.' The awesome Heineken commercials looked better watching on a big screen with darkened lights like in the theaters, allowing visitors to really be immersed in the commercials. The messages were like something you would expect in a public advertisement and not a liquor company. But I think that this is the power of Heineken and why people love and admire the brand for a long time. The entertaining commercials that appeared on screen as if to hypnotize its viewers made an impression on my brain for quite a while.

 I drank my two glasses of beer on the rooftop with the two tokens I received at the entrance. I couldn't have asked for anything more as I drank the cold, refreshing beer while admiring the beautiful landscape of Amsterdam laid before my eyes. Maybe it was because I had just saw and felt the history and identity of the brand, but the golden shade of the Heineken beer, the fizzing small bubbles and the atmosphere of Amsterdam were especially unique. I think that was the moment I became a Heineken fan. I felt like wanting to love and support the brand much like the expression I saw at Heineken Experience – 'Born in Amsterdam. Raised by the world.' At the end of the tour, visitors can take photos in photobooth and send the photos to their email, play a game of football, or play a virtual game of pouring beer. The place was filled with many things to enjoy. There were many places to take great pictures and you can also get a mug with your name engraved at the gift shop.

 I was lucky to have the chance to experience Heineken Experience that engages all five senses – sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Of course, the experience left a strong impression on its visitors because it was not just a shallow experience, but an experience of games that reflect the fun factor in the brand's core value and captivating videos.

 The era that we live in demands brands to beat the competition and develop a special bond with customers to gain fans and be loved. Many customers loved our eSpoir (Hongik University store) Make up PUB 's face tailoring service, which finds the color that best suits the skin tone of customers by combining different makeup foundation, and ETUDE HOUSE's program of determining and customizing personal color for lipstick, recommending the best lipstick colors that go with warm/cool skin tone. But on top of these attempts, experiences that deliver our brand values by engaging the five senses, such as letting customers experience the cosmetics making process like an amusement park ride, giving them a chance to use the newest product at an exclusive place, or telling the unique stories of each product through virtual reality, can have a huge impact. The positive energy made among customers in the process of such experiences would also add to their love and support for our brand – much like how a smile spreads across my face when I think of Heineken because it reminds me of the refreshing taste and aroma and the people from different countries I drank, laughed and talked with in the world of Heineken. Well, this brings me to the end of this column. Looking forward to seeing you in the next column!