Heineken Lobster Episode

Heineken is positioned as the beer of discerning drinkers in ‘Lobster’, a 40 second British TV advert set in the context of French cuisine. A waiter carries a live lobster to the table of a young couple, looking for the go-ahead to commit the crustacean to the pot. The guy’s not too sure. After all the lobster appears to be appealing with its eyes. He’s helped out by a voiceover (Alistair McGowan) with a French accent. He gets into the mood for what is to come by ordering a Heineken Premium Continental Bier – with a head that could be held high alongside that of a Stella Artois lager.

“You British are always struggle with the concept of killing what you eat. Oh! If only you had a continental head! Bob is your uncle. Heineken Premium Continental Beer.”

Once the froth has been sorted out the diner is encouraged to develop a fantasy in which he discovers his wife in the bath with the lobster…

“Now simply imagine the lobster as the terrible villain. You arrive home early to find seaweed on your doorstep. Something smells (sniff sniff) fishy. Up to her neck in salty water with his antennae flip flapping all over her face!

The diner in his fantasy pulls the lobster out of the bath. In the restaurant the lobster is dealt with – straight into the steaming pot.

“Ah! Executed like a true continental! Heineken. Get the head right and the rest will follow!”

Click on the image below to play the video in YouTube

Credits

The Heineken Lobster commercial was developed at Red Brick Road, London, by creatives Vince Squibb and Justin Tindall, with agency producer Charles Crisp.

Filming was directed by Daniel Kleinman at Rattling Stick, London, with producer Johnnie Frankel.

Editing was done at Cut + Run. Post production was done at The Mill, London. Audio was done at Jungle Studios.

Heineken Continental Marketing in UK

Iain Newell, Marketing Director, Heineken UK, explains the background to the campaign…

“Despite overall drinking being up, the beer market in the UK is in decline, so as an industry we must develop and innovate, to connect and re-engage with consumers. With our new campaign we’re targeting successful, well travelled, male urbanites who, like a growing number of consumers, are seeking out more authentic and individual brands and experiences.”

Central to Heineken’s new campaign in the on-trade is the launch of ‘Continental Draught’ which will offer UK consumers the chance to enjoy premium Heineken as it is served on the continent, with an authentic 2 finger-width head.

Taste is a key driver of brand choice. However as much as 40% of what we call ‘taste’ is actually hop aroma, a very volatile flavour which evaporates quickly when in contact with air. On the continent, the Continental Draught serve with its large foam head is considered the only way to enjoy draught beer. This is because the head acts as a seal, protecting the beer from the air and trapping in the real lager aroma and carbon dioxide bubbles. Therefore a large head prevents the flavour and freshness from escaping and delivers a quality drinking experience right down to the last sip.

“With the roll-out of Heineken Continental Draught in UK pubs and bars, we’re offering consumers the chance to enjoy an even more premium, aspirational, beer drinking experience. By combining the latest dispense technology, and the brand’s heritage and experience as the biggest beer in Europe, we can provide our customers with real point of difference and standout,” said Newell.

In the off-trade, Heineken is launching the innovative DraughtKeg – a unique stand-alone 5-litre draught beer system that allows consumers to enjoy quality draught beer anytime, anywhere. A unique product innovation, which is ideal for parties, barbecues and picnics or whenever friends come together to celebrate and have fun, DraughtKeg is already a massive success in over 40 other countries, with over 6 million units sold since 2005.

Iain said: “The launch of DraughtKeg will help consumers to enjoy a different type of draught experience, draught beer wherever they are. The off-trade has been waiting for years for an innovation which can deliver new drinking experiences for consumers and with its cutting-edge technology, and interactive dispense, DraughtKeg is a category-leading innovation representing a real break-through in the beer market.”