New Heineken® commercial
signals change of mindset in
advertising
The makers of Heineken
Netherland's walk-in fridge
ad knew they had a gem
in their hands, but the
commercial's enormous
success took even them
by surprise. One key
strategy was to put the ad
on YouTube and a number
of blogs shortly before its
broadcast release.
World of Heineken 40 - summer 2009
In this image from the foilow-up campaign, the friends make the acquaintance of the 'walk-in' walking fridge.
"From pre-market tests we knew the ad would
do well. However, it reached an audience
scope that we've never experienced before,"
said Heineken Marketing Manager Floris
Cobelens.
The ad, which features a walk-in fridge filled
with Heineken beer that the new owner's
friends respond to with wild enthusiasm,
attracted three million viewers on YouTube
within three weeks of its release in January
this year. The ad was the 27th most-watched
video on YouTube globally. "And it required
no extra cost to put it on the web," Cobelens
said. Further proof of its popularity was the
spoof on the commercial that competitor
Bavaria came out with a few months later.
This is not the first time that Heineken has
previewed an ad shortly before the official
release. "Our current strategy is to present
an ad to select media entities on the web,
like to YouTube and some blogs. Sometimes
we also feature them on specific television
shows," Cobelens said. "The strategy works
both ways: the media entities are happy
because they are getting a scoop, and we get
publicity."
The internet will become increasingly
important in the future of advertisement,
Cobelens said. "It's a borderless medium that
goes around the world." Another advantage
is that a hit on the web guarantees that a
person is actually watching. "It is a much
more active process. With television, you're
never sure what viewers are doing during
commercial breaks."
Cobelens warned, however, that making
successful commercials with the internet
in mind requires careful consideration, and
is still not cheap. "It's more a shift in cost:
whereas before a big chunk of the budget
would go into selling the ad, it is now more
focused on creating an ad that really speaks
to the consumer."
"Today the game is all about making
products that engages our consumers,
instead of pushing our message. Once
you have developed something that really
pleases consumers, they will easily share it
worldwide."
F.Cobelens@heineken.nl
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