Heineken turned Knicks' Josh Hart's Groupchat into a Reality

Imagine this: You’re texting your friends in the group chat on a Friday night to make a plan, debating on what bar to go to for drinks. Eventually you all agree on one, and when you pull up, you start to realize around the bar, there are references to all the inside jokes you have with your pals in the chat.

This, for probably most, is a terrifying concept.

But for the New York Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart, it was all in good fun when Heineken launched a bar that did exactly that, as part of their “Social off Socials” campaign.

“Cold Water” - the namesake of both the chat and the bar - was opened as a one-night-only event, and was filled with jokes and funny memories shared between Hart and his friends.

Decked out with a neon marquee-style sign outside, there was a stained-glass piece of Hart and his wife Shannon’s proposal photo hung over the bar (with a comically large portrayal of Hart’s butt in his kneel - which became a legendary internet meme when fans were commenting about his “cake” on the original Instagram post).

The ice sculpture was formed into one of his signature on-court celebrations, the coasters were personalized with him and his friends nicknames, there were extremely regal oil painted portraits of them decked out in royal-attire framed on the walls, photos of funny and embarrassing memories, and so many more Easter Eggs that made Hart and his friends marvel at the Heineken production.

The Dutch multi-national brand was inspired to launch their “Social off Socials” campaign after brand-commissioned research found that 62% of Gen-Z felt socially drained by digital engagement.

Kicked off with a video spot in May featuring Joe Jonas, Dude with Sign and more, the clip is set in a world where social media isn’t important because everyone is too busy having fun socializing in real life - a message that resonates with consumers due to today’s social media dominated lifestyle and culture.

So…what would your own group-chat-inspired-bar look like?