Drinks industry shaken but not stirred: Heineken's PR problem

Former Irish basketball star Maggie Timoney cut an imposing figure as she strode around the stage at the Checkout magazine retail conference in the Mansion House on Tuesday.

Now the chief executive of Heineken Ireland, Timoney still exudes a gritty, competitive streak. Her plea for co-operation with the industry on tackling alcohol abuse, however, wasn't exactly a slam dunk in the public's eyes.

She made headlines that day after declaring she didn’t “give a s***” if she got fired from Heineken for saying so, but the industry must co-operate to make being drunk “uncool”.

Her stance met a mixed reaction on social media, with some applauding it while others dismissed it as a piece of industry PR guff. Drink in moderation, was her message. But please do still drink our products, presumably.

From where I was sitting, it seemed there was an element of calculation to Timoney’s remarks from the moment she took to the stage to polite applause. This wasn’t an emotional, off-script plea.

“It’s not very often an alcoholic beverage company gets applause. We’re not the most beloved,” she said.

Has she wondered why?

She said she was “shocked” to discover how unpopular the drinks industry in Ireland was when she returned two years ago. If the multinational drinks industry hadn’t tried to block reform of the sector’s marketing rules at every turn over recent years, it might get a warmer response.

And if Heineken wants drinking beyond moderation to be "uncool", then why did it spend a fortune to get its product onscreen into the hands of Daniel Craig as James Bond, an undoubtedly cool character who in recent Bond films appears to have a borderline drink problem?