INFO
Commercial We'll Meet Again
Publicis Groupe
2021
mp4 digital file
1 min, 27 sec. / 30 sec. / 15 sec.
Saving the hospitality industry
In We'll Meet Again, the suspended nightlife of the COVID-19 era collides with daily housekeeping. Deprived of access to cinemas, cafes, restaurants, and clubs, young urban professionals continue to dress up and act out in extravagant nightlife attire while taking out the rubbish, shopping at the supermarket, or walking the dog.
As Very Lynn croons 'We'll meet again,' city dwellers gaze wistfully at their refrigerators, where green bottles of Heineken are beckoning to the 'next meeting.' Fortunately, they don't have to wait for the end of the corona restrictions: the commercial closes with a shot of a street corner with trash containers, where a few young people gather to toast with a beer – naturally keeping a safe 1.5 metres distance from one another.
Impact
The corona crisis had a huge impact on Heineken as an on-trade supplier. Even increased liquor sales in supermarkets and liquor stores could not prevent annual sales plummeting by as much as 17% in 2020 worldwide compared to 2019. Yet the brewer stepped up to the plate precisely in difficult times. In March 2020, even before the preventive measures, Heineken Netherlands accommodated on-trade customers by cancelling events free of charge, cancelling and not charging for orders, collecting tank and keg beer, shutting down tap installations, and flushing pipes to ensure hygiene and quality. Heineken also decided to suspend rental obligations for the 130 premises it owned until May and waive half of the April rent.
Help the Hospitality Industry
In addition, Heineken and Koninklijke Horeca Nederland launched the Help the Hospitality Industry campaign: an initiative with some 50 partners to help hospitality businesses through these difficult times. In just under a year, the campaign raised no less than 3.7 million euros in the form of more than 80,000 vouchers purchased by catering enthusiasts throughout the Netherlands. In doing so, the initiators gave the owners of some 8,000 restaurants and cafés a shot in the arm: consumers could redeem their vouchers in their favourite restaurant or café as soon as they were allowed to reopen.
Hang in there
That moment took longer than anticipated. While the initial closure was projected to last a few weeks, it wasn’t until June 2021 that the surviving businesses could fully reopen. Heineken launched this spot in April to boost morale and address people's growing need to reconnect in person.