V*: y*
Young Rubicam, the agency that has worked for
Mendez for years, came up with the idea for the commer
cial. The agency built further on its previous commercial in
which viewers are transported into the world of Heineken
via the letters that make up the word Heineken. "In the new
commercial we take the four Heineken colours - white,
green, black and red - as our basis. Out of those colours,
pictures appear which reinforce the overall image of the
Heineken brand", explains Sylvia Soler, the agency's crea
tive director. "This really is a brand commercial; it concen
trates on the brand anchors. So we looked for a producer
who could 'translate' those brand anchors." The choice fell
on the director Herman Lederle, German-born but a long
time resident of Los Angeles. During the shooting he looked
relaxed, even when the filming did not go exactly as plan
ned and a retake had to be made the next day.
As a director, Herman Lederle is a perfectionist. That
was also the opinion of René Molenaar, who attended the
film shoot at the request of Heineken Export to monitor the
product shots. René Molenaar is regarded as an expert in
the art of preparing beer for commercial film shoots and ad
photography. "The atmosphere on the set was very relaxed,
really professional. That also makes my work a lot more
enjoyable. Besides, I was given all the time I needed to do
the job I'm hired to do", says Molenaar, as he again creates
a glass of beer that will still look appetising even after half
an hour under the bright lights. The professional recogni
tion of Molenaar's skills becomes clear as soon as the shoot
ing has been completed; with loud applause the entire crew
take their leave of René. "It's not bad, being appreciated like
that", says Molenaar. A typical understatement, but the
pride in his voice is unmistakable.
SPECIAL
The developments in the Puerto Rican beer market have
also resulted in certain changes within Mendez itself. After
consulting with Heineken, Mendez concluded a distribution
contract for the American beer brand Miller. Following the
abolition of the Treasury Department's regulation on the
bottle colour, Miller was ready to launch its product imme
diately. The additional work that Mendez had to handle
from that moment on called for a lot of extra effort. "The
changes were enormous. For a number of people the tran
sition was too big a step. They couldn't stand the pace and
decided to look for another job. We now have people who
can take the rapid developments in their stride. Mendez
Co. is currently the only distributor in Puerto Rico with two
strong brands. TWo brands which do not conflict with each
other", says Luis Alvarez.
21
Shooting the commercial took three days.
