Heineken Brews Up Some Woke Marketing

Woke has become a phenomenon. To be “Woke” is to be in touch with the world around you and culturally aware. It might be slang, but the meaning behind it is powerful. Today’s generation takes wokeness to heart, especially when deciding whether or not they want to support a company. With Gen Zers (those born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s) came the rise of “Woke Marketing.”

Woke Marketing is when brands take a stand on social issues in hopes to communicate “wokeness” to this generation. Some companies get the tweet of approval and some get roasted online within seconds of a campaign release. 

Heineken took a stab at Woke Marketing in 2017 with their “Worlds Apart” social experiment. With the political climate more polarized than ever, they saw an opportunity to spark change. In the ad, three sets of two strangers are introduced. Each pair must build a bar together. Working together often creates a bond between people, so the two strangers quickly get to know each other. When the bar is finished, pre-recorded videos of the strangers start to play. These videos show them explaining their opposing views.

The pairs have differing opinions on climate change, transgender individuals, and feminism. After the videos, the strangers are told they can leave or have a beer and discuss their views. Every pair chooses the latter.

Heineken doesn’t really take sides on any of the issues in this ad. They do, however, show consumers they are making moves to fix the gruesome political climate. The beer company proves that if you give people a chance, no matter what their political views are, you’ll probably have a lot more in common than you think. They are spreading wokeness one beer at a time.