I know we’ve been throwing a lot of great commercials your way over the past few days but I saw the following Heineken ad this morning (thanks Mike!) and I just had to share it.

Being the creative type, I’m a big fan of clever ads and good execution and in my opinion Heineken hits a home run with this television spot. When the commercial starts, you’re not quite sure what’s going on… it’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s sexy and it makes you feel good – but for the first 18 seconds (of 30 seconds total) you’re not sure what’s going on.

The story sucks you in though – and at 25 seconds they hit you with the message, "let a stranger drive you home" – a fun twist on the usual "don’t drink and drive" and the always popular "please drink responsibly!" The commercial says nothing about the beer – and you don’t even know that the message is from Heineken until the very end. The brilliant "Give Yourself a Good Name" tag ties it all together and plays up both the ad’s message and the Heineken brand at the same time. Bravo Heineken, bravo!

And please, take this clever message to heart. If you’re drinking, it’s always wise to let a stranger drive you home!

TAGS [ DRINK RESPONSIBLY | HEINEKEN COMMERCIAL | HEINEKEN AD | BEER ADS | BEER COMMERCIALS ]