Heineken launches new Global Brand Campaign, First film, "The Entrance", an online hit

18 januari 2011 Amsterdam, 18 January 2011 - 'The Entrance',  the first installment of a new global brand campaign for Heineken® , is proving to be a major on -line success,  with close to 4 million hits on You Tube in just three weeks. The film premiered on Heineken's Facebook fan page at the end of 2010 to more than 900,000 Heineken fans and will start to appear on television and cinema screens around the world from the first quarter of 2011 onwards. Created for Heineken by the Amsterdam office of leading advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, the film's hero demonstrates the ultimate party entrance. Charming his way past a coterie of colorful characters, including the beautiful wife of a dignitary, a gun slinging oil baron and even a kung fu assassin, he ends up on stage performing with the lead singer of The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. The Danish alternative pop band sings its latest single and backing track of the film, 'The Golden Age'. "The film emphasizes Heineken's cosmopolitan and contemporary character, boldly refreshing its famous wit. 'The Entrance' confirms the brand's differentiation from other beers", says Cyril Charzat, Senior Director Global Heineken Brand. "Its world-class production values project the brand's premiumness and exclusivity". W+K Executive Creative Directors, Mark Bernath and Eric Quennoy say: "With this campaign, Heineken recognizes the legend in all of its drinkers. Men who know their way around and recognize a fine beer when they taste one. We intend to inspire them for years to come". The widely anticipated campaign includes 90'', 60", 45'' and 30" length commercials and 11 extra short entertaining films, viewed on YouTube and Heineken's Facebook pages, which reveal the secret back-stories of the key characters starring in the film. Through this campaign, Heineken introduces its new universal tag line 'Open Your World' across all marketing executions. The new global tagline conveys the brand's worldly, open-minded & confident personality Heineken's new campaign will see the release of more intriguing films and surprising ways to engage its consumers in the coming months. In the meantime, if people are after tips on how to make a legendary entrance, watch the film and explore the hidden stories of its characters at Facebook.com/Heineken, Youtube. -END - Press enquiries: Marnie Kontovraki Heineken Brand Consumer PR Officer Heineken International Tel: + 31 (0) 20 52 39 355 Marnie.Kontovraki@heineken.com Quick facts about 'The Entrance': - Directed by the talented and award-winning Director, Fredrik Bond; Production Company - Sonny London. - Rehearsed and shot over a week in Barcelona, Spain. - With a cast of more than 280 actors, representing the internationalism of the brand. - The main hero, played by French actor Eric Monjoin, was casted for his cool and likeable personality. - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour shot their own music video of 'The Golden Age' on location. About Heineken: The Heineken brand, that bears the founder's family name - Heineken - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world's most valuable international premium beer brand. Additional information is available onhttp://www.heineken.com  and http://www.heinekeninternational.com/presscentre. Download Heineken press release.pdf: http://hugin.info/136188/R/1480397/415939.pdf This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Heineken International via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1480397]