Win Heineken · 2017
The answer to the Pepsi ad, three weeks later
🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇺🇸 United States
What happened
Heineken filmed strangers with opposing views on climate change, gender and feminism building furniture together before their views were revealed, then offered them the choice to leave or discuss it over a beer.
Why it worked
It made the product the setting for a conversation instead of the solution to a conflict, used real people rather than a model, and let the disagreement stay real.
The rule
A brand can host a difficult conversation. It cannot resolve one.
Takeaway
The difference between this and the Pepsi ad is one word: hosting, not fixing.
More like this
- Pepsi — Pepsi hands a can to a riot line 2017
- H&M — H&M's hoodie and the word on it 2018
- Balenciaga — Balenciaga's children, bears, and court documents 2022
- Apple — Apple crushes a piano and apologises 2024
- Adidas — 'Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon' 2017
Open these markets in the calendar → United Kingdom calendar All wins