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2025 One Show - Experiential & Immersive

Pub Museums

Agency LePub / Milan + Publicis / Dublin

Client Heineken

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Category

Brand Installations

Annual ID

OS25_EX044M

Background

Irish pubs are a cultural institution, famous the world over. These historical buildings have been serving their communities for centuries. Sadly now, some of the oldest pubs in the world found in Ireland are closing. Running costs, higher taxes and inflation mean that a quarter of Irish pubs have shut, an average of 150 each year.
The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums, enabling their rich past to protect their future.

Creative Idea

The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums which people could visit. Turning them to museums made the pubs eligible for tax reductions and allows their rich past to protect their future.

Insights & Strategy

Heineken's brand mission is to help people enjoy a richer social life.
The closure of many historical Irish pubs in Ireland represents a barrier to people enjoying social life in these rich and historical places.Heineken aimed to safeguard these famous cultural institutions so people can continue enjoying them and social life long into the future.
The Irish Heritage Council offers protected status, tax support and other financial benefits to places of historical significance that are open to the public, such as museums. So, Heineken turned historic Irish pubs into virtual museums, enabling their rich past to protect their future.

Execution

Pubs across Ireland were turned into virtual museums. Through augmented reality, objects in the pubs became 3D artifacts complete with audio guides. Allowing pubs to begin the process of becoming accredited museums.
Seamless for the users, the tech behind the experience was created by combining complex elements to achieve what is an AR-navigable museum. Indoor navigation alongside pubs geolocation has been paired with training a model to recognize ancient objects present in the spaces. Each artefact was left untouched, yet turned into a 3D object recognizable at 360° through tracking, built with the use of photogrammetry.
People started their experience by scanning a QR code at the pub entrance. Once inside, customers were free to interact with historical items and enjoy the accompanying augmented reality experience, even buy virtual souvenirs to help financially support the pubs.
The brand also created an online portal, where pub owners not just in Ireland but across borders could apply to become museums so that they would also be protected.
The launch event at one of Dublin’s oldest pubs, Toners, saw special guests and the media try out the virtual tour for themselves. A press release told the media about the initiative. The experience was then rolled out in several pubs across Ireland.
The Pub Museum experience allowed users to discover the legendary history of each pub, often shrouded in mystery and supported by archaeological evidence.

Results

Pub Museums gave pubs a tangible way to protect themselves from closure in challenging economic times.
These results included a 20% tax cut on building maintenance, an economic evaluation of their cultural heritage collection, protection from being bought out and the addition of the pubs to tourism guides.
The launch of the museums led to over 134 hours of audioguides heard, 200K in funding directly to pubs, +30% in footfall in pubs, over 70 Irish media publications, and a submission from the pubs to the Irish Department of Culture to be protected by UNESCO.

2025 Awards

Total Points: 3

Merit

Credits

Agency

LePub / Milan
Publicis / Dublin

PR / Marketing Agency

Thinkhouse / Dublin

Production Company

LENS THAT - AR CREATIVE STUDIO / Warsaw

Art Director

Flavia Conti

Associate Creative Director

Roberto Ardigò
Pedro Gropo

Copywriter

Cristiana Candido

Creative Director

Stefano Zanoni
Peter Dobbyn

Executive Creative Director

Eoin Sherry

Global Chief Creative Officer

Mihnea Gheorghiu
Cristiana Boccassini

Board Creative Director

Ger Roe

Global CEO LePub, CCO LePub Worldwide

Bruno Bertelli

Global Creative Director

Jack Christensen

Senior Agency Producer

Rachel Murray

Senior Art Director

Cormac O'Connor

Account Director

Gonzalo Gutiérrez Gauna

Account Executive, PR & Advocacy

Niamh Hoy

Account Manager, PR & Advocacy

Lucy Carroll

Business Director

Sinead Dennis

Digital Designer

Serena Murgia
Federica Muscillo

Digital Producer Supervisor

Simona Caldarini

Founder and Head of Creative Innovation

Jane McDaid

Global Client Service Director

Shirine Aoun

Global Client Service Director

Ilaria Castiglioni

Global Head of Creative Technology

Mauro Mazzei

Global Head of PR & Communications

Isabella Cecconi

Group Account Director

Ruth McCormack

Group Account Director, PR & Advocacy

Laura Wall

Head of Digital Production

Vittorio Cafiero

Print Production

Gavin Kenny

Production Assistant

Jordan Dempsey

Senior PR Manager

Eleonora Botta

Studio Lead

Hannah MyGlynn

Technical Lead

Cian Mcintyre

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