Heineken's Got The Right Idea

This week in class we discussed the scantily clad nurses standing on West 4th Street promoting the new, and not so enticing (personally), Chill drink. It appears to be the exact opposite of the energy drinks, which have recently been so widely popular, particularly in metropolitan areas, like New York City. These “nurses” looked as if they were dressed up for Halloween; heavy on the make-up, red garter-belts, cleavage all up in the gazoo, etc, etc. This was all alongside a beefy looking Dr. Feelgood, naturally portrayed by a male. What we discussed in class is so accurate; the characters these promoters portrayed play on society’s connotations with those roles; the nurse must be a woman, the doctor must be a man. Aside from this, the point that Randy made about the association of power with each image is also another important factor to take into account.

I noticed many of these same subconscious social practices put into play a couple of weeks ago at an event I worked for my internship. The brand promotion agency I work for is managing the promotional aspect of a U.S. tour for DJ Tiesto sponsored by Heineken. The New York concerts took place at Hammerstein Ballroom; among other promotional events taking place throughout the concert (a series of 3 consecutive shows), the main focus of the concert was on the five young women hired to promote Heineken. Their strongest promotional asset was their bodies. All 5 young ladies wore mini-skirts and halter tops with Heineken printed along the skirt line and across their breasts. They were walking around and told to interact specifically with men who looked like they would be likely to purchase a beer at the concert. The most attractive girl of the five was positioned at the “step & repeat,” where concert-goers had the opportunity to take pictures with their friends in front of a large Heineken banner and could later retrieve their photos on the Heineken website. The number of men that flocked towards this pretty, young blond was astonishing. Hardly any women agreed to take a picture with her, but men were lined up and waiting patiently. This was a great marketing tool, but most importantly, the agency recognized who it was most important to appeal to and what the best method of attack was. Bring the hot girls wearing your label, have them rub up close to you in a picture, next thing you know, Heineken is purchased at the bar! The women were nearly neglected in this campaign because they’re less likely than men to buy beer. I know that this technique has been used many times before, but it’s still interesting to see how the general population reacts to such basic triggers as seen above.