At the end of January Heineken unveiled its latest global ad campaign named ‘The Odyssey’ which celebrates the idea that every man is legendary at something. To begin they auditioned and then hired 20 of the non-actors that had mastered skills needed for the TVC such as conga dancing and sliding down banisters. This is the first time Heineken has hired non-actors to feature in a campaign.
The advert was then created by Heineken and the creative agency Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam in which the main character is on a cruise ship and uses his charm and skills to impress fellow passengers onboard, these include such things as limbo and some perfect diving. The advert gives very real men a stage on which they can perform and be pushed to discover the limits they have and how to overcome them.
On the campaign Sandrine Huijgen, Global Communications Director at Heineken said,
Our Legends campaign is an entertaining homage to our drinkers and their legendary behaviours. We are convinced that many of our drinkers out there have at least one legendary talent. They just need a chance to show it to the world. This is why we decided to offer our next film, The Odyssey, as an opportunity for 20 young men to show us what they’ve got. And they are all legendary.
The campaign proved that every man has the ability to become a legend, or did it? Since watching the advert many people online have been questioning the authenticity of the campaign and its ‘non-actors’ so Heineken has released a video response which denies that anything is fake and features some of the auditions held for the campaign. The company says they want to show the behind the scenes of the advert which is real with no tricks or fakes. You watch the advert below.
This post is sponsored by Heineken, however any opinions that may be expressed are that of the author.
