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Heineken leverages the power of fandom to spark friendship between strangers

Fans Have More Friends campaign by Heineken, Global

Global – International brewer Heineken has launched Fans Have More Friends, a sponsorship platform built on the idea that shared passions are one of the fastest ways to spark human connection.

The initiative debuted in New York with a social experiment that saw hundreds of football fans turn up to Central Park Tavern after flyers reading ‘Have A Beer With Me’ were posted across Manhattan, inviting strangers to watch a UEFA Champions League match together.

The activation is underpinned by new research commissioned by Heineken, which found that 75% of fans say their fandom has helped them meet new people, while 59% say it has led to some of their closest friendships. Three-quarters also believe watching sport with other fans improves the experience, even when they support different teams, and 72% say language is no barrier to bonding over football in a bar.

Echoing key consumer behaviour shifts explored in our Social Wellness Market report, the platform reflects growing demand for brand experiences that rebuild real-world sociability in an increasingly lonely world.

A new era of fandom is emerging – one that embraces new technologies, geographies and audiences while prioritising inclusivity, connection and joy. For more, read our Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom report.

Strategic opportunity

Leverage shared passions to turn brand moments into meeting points that actively spark real-world connection

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals shaping culture right now. This week, foresight analyst Seyi Oduwole explores how socialising in 2026 is evolving for Gen Z, from bingo halls to ballroom fantasies and bookstreams to temple raves.

: A growing sense of nostalgia and yearning for the past is fuelling what Vogue has dubbed the resurgence of bingo nights. As explored in our upcoming drinks macro trend report, this reflects a broader shift toward de-risked, low-effort forms of socialising, in contrast to traditional booze-laden debauchery. The bingo boom aligns neatly with Gen Z’s desire for togetherness, ‘grandma hobbies’ and offline connection away from tech.

: Another signal of this shift towards regressive nostalgia is the revival of Regency balls in the UK. Tied to rising patriotism, escapism and a longing for a romanticised version of a simpler world order, these events tap into fantasy and theatrical self-expression. With the upcoming Wuthering Heights film and the return of New Romantics fashion, expect younger consumers to embrace anything that makes them feel like the belle of the ball or as though they’ve stepped into a Bridgerton-style dreamscape. Perhaps the London Nightlife Taskforce should look to this space and our Designing Nightlife report for creative inspiration.

Crown & Dagger Ball by Mystic Fate Events, Edinburgh, UK

: Elsewhere, a youth retirement home in Malaysia’s Gopeng district captured widespread attention, promising burned-out young people a month-long escape for roughly £386 ($490, €420). While reports state it was nothing more than a concept, its virality speaks volumes about generational fatigue and the desire for sanctioned rest.

: At the same time, instead of gaming, some are turning to ‘bookstreaming’ as a potential antidote to the literacy crisis. Creators such as Kai Cenat are going live simply to read – a quiet, analogue, communal act that’s resonating with audiences and reframing reading as a shared cultural moment. We signalled this movement in our 2024 Reading Raves report.

: Finally, amid global polycrisis, uncertainty and upheaval, religion is finding unexpected expression in nightlife. In Taiwan, spiritual temple raves see DJs spinning hardcore from altars while traditional bachajiang performers dance into the early hours. Two new short films by documentarian Bruno Pruhs capture this collision of devotion, release and collective ritual (source: Dazed).

Quote of the week

‘The world is so busy, and sometimes quite a scary place. To have a space to just come and focus on your body, dancing and sharing that with other people – it’s a little break from the busyness of life’

Helen Davidge, caller at the Bank of England Museum ball (source: The Guardian)

Stat: Uptick in night-routine content reflects a shift towards protective wellness

eyes. lips. face. sticky. by e.l.f. Beauty starring Jennifer Coolidge for Super Bowl Game Day Commercial 2023, US

UK & US – Night-routine content on TikTok rose 46% year-on-year in Q4 (October–December) 2025, reaching 13.2m weekly views, according to new research from Kyra.

The analysis, which examined 2.2bn TikTok videos, found sleep-focused content performing strongly, with 31.5m weekly views. Nervous-system content is also accelerating, up 46% to 1.4m weekly views, highlighting growing interest in regulating mood, focus and recovery.

Alongside the analysis, the research surveyed 950 Gen Z and Millennial respondents in the UK and US, revealing the pressures driving these behaviours. Some 94% report experiencing mental health challenges in an average month; 86% say they feel burnt out, many before the age of 25; and 70% cite anxiety about money as a barrier to sleep.

Together, this suggests that wellness is no longer simply a lifestyle choice. It has become a form of protection and a means of restoring balance in a high-pressure, digitally intense world.

Our Future Forecast 2026 report highlights how connection – to the mind, body, senses and social networks – sits at the centre of this shift. These practices offer a way for people to feel agency over their wellbeing while remaining responsive to their bodies, rather than attempting to fully control them.

Strategic opportunity

Brands should recognise the growing role of wellness as protection rather than aspiration. Products, services and content that support regulation, rest and recovery can resonate more deeply than performance-led narratives in an increasingly pressured, always-on environment