What’s that? If I drink Heineken I can be the most well liked man at the party? This may be so, but what if I drink Dos Equis instead? Doesn’t that make me the most interesting man at the party? Either way, beer advertisements such as these aren’t simply selling an alcoholic beverage; they are selling a fantasy and an exciting one at that.
Lets take a quick look at what that fantasy entails, especially in this ad. Our friend making his grand entrance is quite worldly, well learned, and outgoing. Is it ethically sound for Heineken to sell this fantasy to their costumers? Of course it is. They don’t make any claims about how your social life will greatly improve while drinking Heineken. Hell, they don’t even show anyone actually drinking it (which they can’t legally anyways).
Funny that you mention the Dos Equis ads. Don't you think Heineken is just copying the idea of the Dos Equis commercials?
ReplyDeleteThey do seem quite similar... While the Dos Equis ads come right out and tell you how great their interesting man is, Heineken lets the viewer make those connections for themselves. In many cases in marketing, it is best to be first in a category. If my research is correct, Dos Equis was first with this idea and they have created a serious following with the most interesting man in the world complete with his own website and twitter etc. So maybe Heineken is copying, but what they haven't been able to copy is the iconic success of Dos Equis.
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