Title | WORLDS APART |
Brand | HEINEKEN |
Product/Service | BEER |
Category |
A09. Corporate Social Responsibility |
Entrant
|
HEINEKEN UK London, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Idea Creation
|
PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Media Placement
|
SPARK FOUNDRY London, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Production
|
RSA FILMS London, UNITED KINGDOM
|
Credits
Dave Monk |
Publicis |
Executive Creative Director (London) |
Dave Sullivan |
Publicis |
Creative Director |
Josh Norbury |
Publicis |
Copywriter & Art Director |
Chris Turner |
Publicis |
Strategist |
Ben McKee |
Publicis |
Account Director |
Katie Edwards |
Publicis |
Business Director |
Kathryn Mason |
Publicis |
Account Manager |
Kal Parma |
Publicis |
Agency Producer |
Jelly Kitchen |
Jelly Kitchen |
Illustrator |
Space66 |
Production & Post Production Company |
Production & Post |
Sam Stocking |
Space66 |
Director |
Ben Loach |
Ben Loach |
Editor |
Chloe Shaw |
Space66 |
Producer |
Dash+Miller |
Dash+Miller |
Textile Production |
Radd Nadesananthan |
Publicis |
Social Planner |
Duncan Rogers |
Publicis London |
Designer |
Brian Twomey |
Tourism Ireland |
Head of Marketing Communications |
Mark Henry |
Tourism Ireland |
Central Marketing Director |
Bruno Bertelli |
Publicis Italy |
Global Chief Creative Officer |
Cristiana Boccassini |
Publicis Italy |
Executive Creative Director |
Milos Obravodic |
Publicis Italy |
Heineken Global Digital Creative Director |
Mihnea Gheorghiu |
Publicis Italy |
Heineken Global Digital Creative Director |
The Campaign
Our idea was to demonstrate that there is more that unites us than divides us.
To prove this, we developed an experiment together with Dr. Govinda Clayton, a conflict resolution specialist, that would challenge two strangers with polarizing views to come together, discuss their differences, and hopefully find some mutual understanding.
With an experiment that was entirely unrehearsed, unscripted and using real people, not actors, you never know what the result will be. Yet, it goes to prove that even the most divided people can find common ground. The act of having a conversation, creating dialogue and listening to the other side can open your mind and open your world – we just have to take that first step.
Campaign Success
The 4.5-minute film was launched organically online in three versions optimised for each individual social platform. It was boosted through a PR push that seeded the film to national newspapers and online publications. This created momentum, but once people started sharing naturally (including unpaid celebrity endorsers) the film really took off. Paid media kicked in 5 days later to maintain momentum. This has been supported by our partnership with the Huffington Post that ensured a steady stream of content about common ground.
Further, online banners drove to our website where you could sign up to a human library event that gives you the chance to have a conversation with someone you might not have an opportunity to meet in everyday life (e.g. a refugee). This takes an online activation and gives you the chance to take real action – a further opportunity to open your world.
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results
With social content principles advising towards short form edits, our 4.5 minute film seems to have broken all the rules.
The film has been viewed a total of 17.7 million times, 13.6 million organically, with millions more views on fan and media channels. It has generated a huge volume of conversation - 625+ articles published, made international news coverage, became a trending topic on Twitter, made it to the front page of Reddit, was the number 1 ad on Youtube for April, created reaction videos online, and it has even spawned a couple of parodies too.
In total it has generated 324,000 engagements, 531,000 shares and as the film travels the world, with a reach of 2 billion, so does our message of openness.
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service
The Promo & Activation Lions celebrate creativity that brings brands to life. Entries will need to demonstrate ideas that generate interaction; that is work where consumer participation in an activity serves to promote a product or service.
In the midst of a country becoming increasingly divided, polarised, and closed, Heineken, a brand that has stood for openness for 140 years demonstrated that delivering a positive message of openness can have a profound effect. It showed what can be achieved if we all think a little more openly and discuss our differences and in turn sparked a few discussions and debates itself.
For many, shock followed Brexit. Yet Brexit was simply a consequence of something deeper. Our research showed open conversation had become suppressed (amplified by online echo-chambers). People weren’t talking to people with different opinions, and if they were, the online conversation was so toxic it fueled the problem.
Our insight was that despite our differences we can always find something that connects us. You may not hold the same views, but the choice is either to ignore each other or engage and find a better understanding on both sides. The simple act of sitting down and having a conversation (perhaps over a beer) can be the first step to finding common ground.
The strategy was simple, as brand that has always stood for openness, we would facilitate conversation between even the most divided of people, and subsequently build meaning for our tagline - Open Your World.