Heineken has unveiled a new integrated global brand campaign urging workers to ‘switch off’ and prioritise a more healthy work-life balance with the release of a big-budget, satirical spot created by French agency Publicis.
At the heart of the Dutch brewing giant’s campaign is the invention of what it claims to be a new ‘high-tech’ bottle-opener that switches off all work apps when used to open a Heineken beer.
Aimed at a white-collar working crowd, the device will be given its own ‘exclusive’ launch event set to parody high-profile tech announcements, hosted by American actor Billy Eichner.
This latest campaign will be the first under Heineken’s new ‘For a fresher world’ brand platform, which seeks to ‘reconsider stereotypes and oppose tired clichés.’
The release of ‘The Closer’ comes amid the multinational’s own attempts to address its employees’ work-life balance with the implementation of a company-wide programme last year dedicated to ‘identifying and sharing best practices’ in a bid to better take into consideration workers’ concerns.
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“As a brand, we have always stood for creating moments of shared connections with others,” Heineken global head of brand, Bram Westenbrink said.
“With the once-rigid boundaries between work and personal time rapidly deteriorating following the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to spark a much-needed conversation about the importance of resisting the societal pressures to be in a constant state of busy work and encourage workers around the world to reprioritise social and leisure time with the people who matter most.”
Publicis Worldwide global chief creative officer, Bruno Bertelli added: “As people continue to feel like they have to work all the time, they’re forgetting that disconnecting is even an option.”
“That’s why we created The Closer. It’s not just technology; it’s a social provocation to help people see that the pressure to work all the time is getting a little ridiculous and we all have the power to log off and go hang out with our friends again.”
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