AUSTRALIAN TV
HEINEKEN ARGENTINA
DISPLAYS Heineken
LATEST
COMMERCIAL A VISUAL
EFFECTS MASTERPIECE
Summer 2006
To simply call Heineken's latest commercial being broadcast on Australian
television "just another ad" doesn't quite do justice to its creators. Befitting
the company's global status, Heineken is promoting beer Down Under with
a hi-tech special effects masterpiece.
Written by Leo Burnett and directed by Josh Frizzell, in co-operation
with visual effects experts Fuel International, the major theme of the 60-
second "Heineken Past" commercial is the brewer's long, unchanged history
of quality.
The innovative ad shows a man who steps out to buy a six-pack and
begins to see the world around him reshape into the past: modern cars
turning into Model T Fords, concrete roads morphing into cobble stones
and convenience stores transforming into traditional corner shops. Once
time has lapsed back to 1873—the year that the Heineken company was
first established—the man jumps down from his horse-drawn wagon to
order a Heineken in a traditional Amsterdam tavern. Taking a swig, he says,
"It tastes exactly the same", after ordering a six pack 'to go', walks out of
the pub with a wooden box and six glasses of Heineken.
Stay tuned, because this amazing new ad is soon to be aired in markets
all over the world!
Sometimes you've got to go guerrilla to get attention: Heineken
did just that as it took its first major step into the world of digital
marketing this year—some have termed it "viral"—as part of its
national American launch campaign for Heineken Premium Light.
The online programme allowed Heineken USA to provide
target consumers with a highly interactive and engaging
experience. On 1 March, HPL took over the web with digital
roadblocks and banners on some of the internet's most popular
sites, including MSN, Yahoo! and ESPN.com. These unique take
overs created immediate buzz and prompted consumers to surf
to heinekenlight.com, the centrepiece of an online media
programme initiated to broadcast more about the new brand.
Only two months after the launch, the site had already received
over two million hits.
"Heineken Premium Light is a revolutionary and innovative
product. A luxury light beer is a truly unique concept," states
Andy Glaser, Brand Director for Heineken Premium Light. "And an
innovative brand must be launched with an innovative campaign,
one that caters to the tech-savvy generation of beer drinkers."
Heineken Argentina has developed a
unique and innovative series of point-of-
sale displays aimed at communicating the
premium quality of the Heineken brand.
Stylishly designed, these modern
displays have been channelled into high-
end hospitality outlets and premium off-
premise locations throughout Argentina.
They offer customers an ice-cold Heineken
in a range of formats—including bottles
and cans of various sizes and the cutting-
edge aluminium PACO bottles—yet all
available from one cool unit.
"These developments are part of our plan to better
tap into, and explore, consumer needs," says Sebastién
Sanchez, Heineken Country Manager in
Argentina. "These display materials are
examples of how we understand that premium
quality and innovation can also be delivered to
the consumer at the point of sale."
So innovative are these units, in fact, that
they were awarded the 2005 Golden POPAI (Point
of Purchase Advertising International) award for
the best point-of-purchase display of the year
across all categories. Beating a fieldx of 85
competitors, Heineken Argentina's displays were
praised for their creativity, capacity to boost sales
and ability for point-of-purchase brand
positioning.
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