Friday, March 4, 2016

Will you toast Benicio Del Toro with a Heineken?



While Heineken is clearly doing better than domestic beers, with volume growth of 2.3% in 2015, it is poised to lose its position as the number two imported beer in the US to Modelo Especial, if it hasn't already.  (Bouckley, 2016). 

In case you were wondering, the number one import is Corona.

Therefore the fact that Heineken has decided to partner with Del Toro for their new advertising campaign makes perfect sense.  As does the fact that they intend to run bilingual tv ads in more than 70 countries.

But what about the message?  The "There's More Behind the Star" campaign focuses on stories about the brand's 142 year-old heritage, quality and global availability.  Specific language includes Del Toro's declaration that Heineken is "world famous, like me" and "enjoyed in 192 countries." (Lukovitz, 2016)

Here's the first commercial...






So what do you think?  Will this approach work?  Is Del Toro the right spokesperson?  Do you care about the heritage of your beer?  Or its global footprint?


Bouckley, B. (2015, January 9)  Modelo Especial tipped to topple Heineken as No. 2 US Imported Beer.  beveragedaily.com.  Retrieved March 3, 2016, from

Lukovitz, K. (2016, March 2)  Benicio Del Toro Charms in Heineken's New Global Campaign.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved March 3, 2016, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/270278/benicio-del-toro-charms-in-heinekens-new-global-c.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=90820

4 comments:

Stina said...

I like the idea of this ad that they have chosen a famous actor, who still isn’t always recognized. Like Heineken! But I’m not sure if this idea comes thought well enough and if their target audience will get this message.
Also I think it’s good to point out the heritage factor. I’m always interested in the heritage of different alcohol beverages. But for me heritage also means the country of origin and based on this ad you would think that Heineken is also Mexican or Spanish.

Reema said...

Yes I think it will work because they are partnering with a famous actor who has a global appeal. We live in a international world. We are no longer limited by location. We are a world without borders. It would be smart to try to have more people interested in the beer. Profits is the most important thing to a company. And the company must take a risk and try to get more appeal to be more successful.

Unknown said...

I would like to see the rest two TV ads, because I'm not sure about heritage and quality story they are trying to tell. It is because I don't think that relaying only on this product attributes will help them regain their number two status when it comes to imported beer in the US.

Also, when it comes to beer, in my opinion, consumers don't care about the heritage. But in this case they tried to impersonate beer with a person. By choosing Del Toro they are certainly trying to win Hispanic and general market that now buys Modelo Especial and appeal to them more.

The thing is that their execution is not clear to me, but maybe in next two TV ads they will be more fun and use the fact that they are cool brand.

Unknown said...

The basic idea of the spot is cute and funny and a famous actor always captures attention. Considering the bilingual ad and the actor chosen, it is clear that the intent is to get closer to Hispanics. Personally I don't know how this ad can be really effective. In my opinion the strength of a beer is often in the country of origin and this does not emerge from ad. Since the spot is based on the heritage I might have chosen a Dutch actor to remark it.