Heineken trolls AI friendship tech

As the debate around artificial companionship heats up, Heineken is weighing in with a cold beer and a wink.

The brand’s latest campaign, developed by LePub New York, responds to the growing discomfort with AI friendship tech.

Most notably the backlash surrounding Friend, the wearable AI chatbot whose ad campaign raised hackles in the U.S…

Every single available bus shelter in LA is now a friend ad pic.twitter.com/mnRylr8ElE

— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) October 7, 2025

…..and led to widespread graffiti of the posters.

via Reddit

While Friend promises “always-on” emotional support, Heineken is taking a different tack: reminding people that real friends aren’t artificial.

At the heart of the campaign is a tongue-in-cheek piece of wearable tech – a fully functional bottle opener necklace.

It’s the next installment  of Heineken’s enduring campaign that the best connections happen offline, beer in hand.

Earlier this they launched a mobile plan that rewards logging off and took aim at digital burnout with “Social off socials” fronted by Joe Jonas.

The message comes to life through high-impact OOH placements in NYC and social posts.

The lead line, “The best way to make a friend is over a beer,” is paired with “Heineken: Social networking since 1873,” positioning the brand as a long-time advocate of genuine, face-to-face interaction.

“It’s clear many New Yorkers agree the best way to make a friend is still over a real beer with a real person,” said Jim Curtis, chief creative officer at LePub. “So we developed this state-of-the-art innovation – proven to open beer bottles almost instantly.”

The campaign launched this week with social content inviting users to tag a (real) friend using #SocialOffSocials.

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