Heineken Club Experiment Earns Viral Views

The experiment: Miami, Florida; two nights; same club; same amount of people; same observation time; only one difference — the DJ. Intrigued? That’s the point.

Heineken’s latest commercial isn’t something you’ll see on TV, nor does it have much to do with the attributes of the beer itself. This YouTube video is a slick, highly produced piece of content that set out to answer the question: Can music affect alcohol consumption?

Heineken is no stranger to risk-taking in the name of branding and marketing. Recently, the lager beer company has staged and filmed a number of social experiments — “Departure Roulette,” for example, which currently clocks nearly three million YouTube views — that go beyond traditional advertising and demonstrate how compelling branded content can be a powerful marketing tool.

The most recent example, “The Experiment,” was published January 6 and by 10:30 a.m. EST had already garnered more than 16,000 views. At the end of the 2+ minute piece, we learn that on the first night, the club sells 1,078 drinks, while on the second night – when DJ Armin Van Buuren is spinning, and more people are dancing – the club sells only 632 drinks within the same period.

Mashable tells us that in conducting this experiment, and producing the video, Heineken aimed to “send a message about responsible drinking.” While that’s all well and good, I’d argue that Heineken’s intent was less about telling people to “dance more and drink slow,” as they write in the video (and support with #DMDS) and more about creating compelling content that will attract viewers and foster positive brand associations (with good music, with bucking the traditional advertising system, and perhaps also with social responsibility).

We can we learn a few things from Heineken’s approach to branded content:

• It tells a story. We start off with a setting (an illuminated downtown Miami, Fl), a character (a DJ, whom we later learn is Van Buuren), and a premise (the experiment).
• It answers a question: Can good music — and more dancing — affect alcohol consumption?
• It’s about something other than the brand. While Heineken is positioned as “presenting” the experiment and its logo is featured heavily throughout the clip, the story and the message are not about the brand or even beer.
• It looks and feels like something else. Consumers want content that is entertaining, novel, and delivers new information. This piece accomplishes all of those things without coming off as a traditional commercial.

What will they come up with next? Here’s hoping for an experiment in the efficacy of branded content!