James Bond on a secret mission in global Heineken campaign via W+K, Amsterdam
Heineken, via Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, has launched a blockbuster new TV and digital campaign, in anticipation of the release of the 23rd James Bond adventure, Skyfall, which sees Daniel Craig bring his explosive portrayal of James Bond to a Heineken ad for the very first time. Challenging consumers to defy his enemies and ‘Crack the Case’, viewers will be taken on an epic train journey alongside stunning Bond newcomer Bérénice Marlohe.
The interactive experience begins exactly where the TV spot leaves off, with viewers invited onto a train by the smouldering Bérénice before it embarks on a voyage through a spectacular vista of snowy mountains. Putting viewers through their paces, a series of gruelling tests will lead them to ‘Crack the Case’ whilst protecting its contents from ferocious Bond villains.
Aussie expat Eric Quennoy is joint ECD at W+K Amsterdam, and led all elements of the campaign, together with his ECD partner Mark Bernath.
Rolling out worldwide, the ‘Crack the Case’ campaign has launched on multiple platforms, through a combination of a new 60s film (TVC & online) with a personalized interactive experience. This powerful combination of ATL, digital, PR and experiential will ensure that Heineken and Bond are able to reach out to more consumers than ever before and propel the campaign to new heights.
Building on a 15 year relationship with the Bond franchise, the ‘Crack the Case’ campaign takes viewers into a moving train somewhere deep in snow-covered mountains, providing them with the opportunity to be a secret agent themselves. Transitioning viewers seamlessly from the TVC, Bond actress Bérénice Marlohe tantalises viewers by inviting them to help her crack a mysterious case and outwit the menacing villains – a challenge which encourages a virtual voyage of participation and discovery.
The campaign TV ad was directed by award winning Dutch filmmaker Matthijs Van Heijningen Jnr. from production company MJZ.
Igniting global excitement and driving mass participation, an exclusive online teaser was released ahead of the campaign launch to a pocket of global super fans of Bond, incentivising these top fans to watch the TVC once it launches and leaving them wanting more.
In addition to exploding conversation across digital, social and owned media platforms, the offline execution of ‘Crack the Case’ will bring the drama of the virtual experience ‘live’ to a broader audience across the globe in October. Several markets will host unique Heineken experiences in iconic locations, inviting members of the public to test their nerve, win exclusive prizes and share in the excitement of the global release of Skyfall this northern Autumn.
11 Comments
Bond is great… Daniel Craig is great…
But I’m sorry, this ad is all over the place.
I’d score that meh out of ten, but as for the press release itself? In the spirit of its own gross overhype, ooohhhh, I’d say 14 out of ten.
It probably ticks lots of boxes for a digital interactive piece, certainly has all the bell and whistles, slick production, big star… and, after all that, it’s just kind of tedious.
I’d rather watch a great, entertaining TVC, like some of their previous efforts, and I’d probably feel the brand was cooler for it.
Interactive does not automatically equal good.
I can’t wait till everyone gets over the gimmicks and tech and get back to making people feel something.
I’ve always wanted to be this guy in the CB comments section:
Wasn’t this exact thing done last year (using a photo to personalise a story on rails with a couple of basic puzzles as halt points) by Intel? I might have the wrong brand but the ad had a much better plot, much better direction, slightly more challenging puzzles (it’s behind the fat guy) and wasn’t tied to some banal green-screen acting from a poorly-directed pretty.
Oh, and “Points for trying”, I’d rather play a decently made game.
Don’t shoot the medium. It’s not interactivity’s fault that these guys don’t understand how to use engaging plot in challenging gameplay.
What a pile of poo.
Yep, Intel’s “The Chase”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo-pN6ikhKc
Arguably Intel had less a relevant reason to be Jane Bondesque than Heineken this year, and “The Chase” is borrowed interest, but they’ve just pulled it off better than the beer boys, and it’s more cleverly done. Have seen their game but not played it.
This Heineken ad’s been diluted because someone said, “Heyyyyy’s let’s do “The Entrance” ad…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mOHGWM3hmw
“…but on a train, and a Bond spoof, and then Daniel Craig, and then…” and that’s too much, folks.
Points for trying said:
I can’t wait for everyone to get over the gimmicks and tech and get back to making people feel something.
Amen Brother
If you can kick someone in the balls, it doesn’t matter what shoe you are wearing. At the moment, people are spending too little time worrying about the target and focusing on how fancy their footwear is instead. The shoe is merely the vehicle for impact, not the impact itself.
Cryptic as fuck, I know, but hopefully that makes sense of our current obsession with digital.
Crap ad, by the way.
@Cognitively dissonant
I wouldn’t want to play a game, because the kind of games that are currently possible online never compare to my xbox.
Ah hell, you’ll probably never read this @points for trying but…
But this isn’t meant to be an xbox game. Xbox games are epic and require you to sit down and dedicate for significant periods of time.
This is much more a mini-app kind of game (like a round of Angry Birds). Three minutes of engagement and you’re done.
If you can get an emotional hook into someone with a 30 second ‘sit back’ piece of film then surely you can get a deeper hook into a person with a three minute ‘sit forward’ game.