One 30ss TV spot in the style of the local news broadcasts. The copy starts with a verbatim of the official communications. The setting was generic enough that it could not be identified with any particular station, but resembled all of them. To play the lead role we hired a retired newscaster who is still highly recognized (so we could have the credibility of a “true” message; since actual newscasters are not allowed to do commercials).The complete spot has the look and feel of a public service announcement from the station, and the announcers never said a word of commercial copy. The reference to the Heineken brand only comes at the end where it is used to illustrate what is an upgrade to high definition  (HDTV is to analog as Heineken is to other brands).

Tracking studies showed a rise in top of mind mentions. Among the desired target (adults 25-35, middle to high socioeconomic levels) the brand improved its scores in: “Gaining in popularity” and “A brand for people like me”. The core Heineken brand was perceived as more up-t-date than its youthful –targeted Light version.

To take advantage of the buzz created by what had been planned as a media-driven tactical effort, the spot dominated the message mix up until Christmas.  It contributed to the end-of-year effort that allowed the brand to reach sales goals in spite of overall downward market trend.