Pick of the Week: Heineken's witty ad is full of spirit of generosity

Enjoying a bottle of average lager doesn't make you any less of a woman.

Heineken: no more white wine spritzer for the lady, please
Heineken: no more white wine spritzer for the lady, please

There’s a great, highly recognisable insight underpinning this ad: that while we have started to move past gendered codes of behaviour, they often still loom large over everyday situations.

It’s an idea reinforced through repetition here in a series of amusing vignettes telling the same story of men and women being wrongly profiled by busy waiters with no time to ask questions. 

While the ad may well help female drinkers find the confidence to order the beverage they really want, it mostly comes across as a remarkable act of generosity from Heineken to its counterparts in the spirits industry: the main message I took was that it is time for us men to ditch banal mainstream beer brands in favour of resplendent mixed drinks, thus revealing our beautiful true selves to the world.

Brand Heineken
Title Cheers to all
Agency Publicis Italy
Creatives Michele Picci and Francesco Basile
Production company Iconoclast Paris
Director Megaforce

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