Huub Koch | Creating Good Vibrations

Heineken Beer isn't Heineken's Beer?

I have always had a passion for language. When I was in elementary school we had a student discussion about the use of grammar: If Billy has a dog, it is called Billy's dog. And if that is the case why isn't Heineken beer Heineken's beer? We asked our teacher, but he couldn't solve our problem. Then he gave me a good advice: 'Why don't you ask the Heineken people themselves?' And that's what I did.

So I wrote a letter to the Heineken Brewery and waited for the reply. It took some time, but suddenly I received a small and impressive envelope with the Heineken logo, my name and address typed on the cover.

A small sinfull secret unfolded

I opened the envelope, unfolded the letter and there was my answer: 'Dear Huub, you are absolutely right to observe that if we should have used grammar correctly our beer would be called Heineken's beer. Still there is a reason for our sin against grammar: The name Heineken is not used as a personal name, but as a brandname. And that is why we call it Heineken beer and not Heineken's beer. That's the reason not less or more'.

The letter was signed with kind regards by Mister Such and So of the department of public relations. I was delighted! Heineken had reveiled their small sinfull secret and send me as bonus some inspiration too.

Into the land of magic and complexity!

From that day on I asked myself when I pondered my future: 'Is it going to be something in public relations?' Of course this has turned out a bit different, but only a little bitsy different, as apples do not tend to fall far away from the tree. That's my story! A story about my adventures into the land of magic and complexity, from then to now and how the beat goes on.