Stereotyping is so obvious when you see it in action. “Obvious” is both the strength and the weakness of this Heineken spot by Publicis.
It’s a 40-second sequence of clunky clichés, which is exaggerated by repetition. But the message, that it’s more than fine for women to drink Heineken, comes through strongly. In ad terms, it does its job well.
The ad purports to be about breaking down stereotypes but the intention of the ad is obviously more about selling Heineken to a new target audience than changing the world. That’s a bit annoying.
Although, while everyone has experienced its scenes, we probably do still need to have them pointed out as sexist. In real life, it’s likely that we all overlook them, even today. We need ads like this.
“The idea for this campaign was inspired by real-life experiences that everyone can relate to,” says Maud Meijboom, Heineken brand development and communications director. “Breaking down these stereotypes involves acknowledging them and we wanted to do this in an entertaining way.”
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