Heineken brings together those who see the world completely differently
What kind of result can arise from sitting down to talk with someone who sees the world in a completely different way? Is it possible to bridge the viewpoints? And what if you already know that there are a few common things between you and you also get a chilled beer to go with it?
These thought-provoking questions are explored in Heineken's short film titled „Worlds Apart.”.
Heineken, founded more than 150 years ago, has always stood for openness, which it also wanted to promote with the new #Open Your World campaign. The campaign includes the advertisement created by Publicis London in 2017.
At the beginning of the nearly 5-minute film, the viewer is already in the know; from the very first frame, we know that the characters represent completely different worlds compared to each other, which they are unaware of. We meet a feminist and a misogynist, a transgender person and a transphobe, as well as a climate denier and a green activist, who are locked together in a warehouse. They are given a common task, a bar is built, and they have the opportunity to get to know each other better. We can see how the initial awkward atmosphere begins to dissolve, and we even feel that they sympathize with each other. The situation is heightened by the creators with 2 bottles of Heineken beer.
And then the bomb drops. From a projected video clip, they learn what we also know; their new acquaintance hates everything that the other represents.
The warehouse suddenly seems painfully cramped, and strong emotions are clearly visible on everyone's faces.
But they get a chance: to sit down and discuss their differences over a beer or simply leave. Everyone sits back down to talk.
Worlds Apart has generated more than forty million views on various social media platforms to date. In the first three weeks, there were only organic shares, and even today, there are still many. The creators also won a bronze award at the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The video clearly provokes thought and appeals to emotions; while watching, we inevitably identify with someone, and our own viewpoint comes into focus. The creators' greatest virtue is that they do not take sides with any viewpoint, nor do they believe that this will solve all the world's problems. Their goal is to look beneath the surface and not to judge the "book by its cover.".
The social experiment was preceded by a research study conducted by Dr. Chris Brauer, a behavioral researcher, which states that a shared social background, tolerance, and empathy contribute to our ability to be more accepting. Heineken collaborated with the Human Library, a non-profit organization whose goal is to try to dissolve prejudices through real people.
Opinions are mostly positive, with comments often being emotional and encouraging other advertisers to create similar films. However, there are skeptics who do not believe that the participants are not actors and that they were not briefed in advance. Some even question whether such extreme opinions can be changed so quickly.
The film is effective because it does not shove the brand in our faces, nor does it manipulate with a repeatedly boring scene – friends, party, beer. Of course, we know that this does not always work so smoothly in „real life.” In fact... But nowadays, when we are inundated with advertisements, a thought-provoking message reaches its target much sooner and represents a brand more effectively.
Featured image source: www.edelman.co.uk
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