With mounting societal pressure to be constantly busy, rapid adoption of new work technology and a global pandemic forcing a complete overhaul of where and when work gets done, workers have increased their average working day by 2.5 hours, according to NordVPN Teams. When added up, all these extra hours are negatively impacting overall employee wellbeing, translating to less time spent with friends and family or pursuing personal hobbies.
HEINEKEN® is addressing this growing work-life imbalance with The Closer, an outlandish high-tech bottle opener that immediately shuts all work applications when a bottle of Heineken is opened with it. Dramatised in a campaign film as the antidote to the increasing demands of our always-on work culture, The Closer bottle opener itself is a satirical symbol of the power every worker has to close down at the end of the day.
“As a brand, we have always stood for creating moments of shared connections with others,” said Bram Westenbrink, Global Head of Heineken® Brand at HEINEKEN. “With the once-rigid boundaries between work and personal time rapidly deteriorating following the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to spark a much-needed conversation about the importance of resisting the societal pressures to be in a constant state of busy work and encourage workers around the world to reprioritise social and leisure time with the people who matter most.”
The Closer bottle opener will be announced at an exclusive launch event reminiscent of iconic tech announcements. A keynote address by Billy Eichner will unveil the only gadget that can help solve a core problem caused by other remote-work enabling technologies. By overemphasizing the necessity of such a high-tech marvel, Eicnher will remind us all that everyone already has everything they need to close down right at their fingertips.
Workers in the United States will be able to enter for their chance to win a Closer bottle opener on June 8, 2022 at www.heineken.com/closer. But fans will have to act quickly, as the promotion will only be open from 10 am - 11:59 pm ET. More devices will be made available in additional markets in the coming months.
Once all the Closer bottle openers are claimed, HEINEKEN® will encourage workers in the United States to block their calendars at the end of the day with a Calendar Closer to prevent coworkers from scheduling meetings after working hours. Workers who are first to use the Calendar Closer at www.heineken.com/closer will be rewarded with beer money to enjoy social time with their friends.
“As people continue to feel like they have to work all the time, they’re forgetting that disconnecting is even an option,” Bruno Bertelli, Global Chief Executive Officer of Le Pub, and Global Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Worldwide, the lead agency that created the campaign. “That’s why we created The Closer. It’s not just technology; it’s a social provocation to help people see that the pressure to work all the time is getting a little ridiculous and we all have the power to log off and go hang out with our friends again.”
As a business with over 80,000 employees around the world, HEINEKEN® has not been immune to the increased demands placed on its vast workforce. An employee wellbeing program was established in 2021 to identify causes of work-life imbalance around the world, with a dedicated team responsible for identifying and sharing best practices to address them. This year and beyond, the team plans to host over 1,000 workshops in 80+ countries to find new ways of working to better support the professional, emotional, social and physical well-being of all employees. This campaign was created to spark conversation, and for HEINEKEN®, it starts by empowering its own employees.
“While work-life imbalance is an issue felt around the world, it can’t be solved with just one policy change,” said Yolanda Talamo, Global Head of Human Resources at HEINEKEN. “This high-tech bottle opener is a symbol that acts as a catalyst for change, but the work is ahead of us. We are asking all of our employees to help us identify practical solutions that take into account the cultural nuances in each of the countries we operate in so everyone can enjoy more balance between their work and personal time.”
This is the first campaign from HEINEKEN® that launches ‘For a Fresher World,’ a new creative expression that aims to refresh the world by showing life tastes better with an open mind. With this new approach, campaigns will strive to challenge the obvious, reconsider stereotypes and oppose tired cliches. With this first effort, HEINEKEN® is inspiring people around the world to stop overworking and open their minds to what can happen after the work stops.
To learn more about The Closer global campaign, visit www.heineken.com/closer.
Credits
HEINEKEN
Sr. Director Global Heineken® Brand: Bram Westenbrink
Heineken® Global Communication Director: Daniela Iebba
Heineken® Global Digital Director: Rob van Griensven
Heineken® USA Marketing Communications lead: Joshua Egan
Heineken® USA Brand Manager: Joe Conti
Heineken® Brand Global PR Lead: Jonathan O’Lone
Heineken® Global Digital Production Manager: Bram Reukers
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, MAIN ASSETS, DIGITAL ASSETS
PUBLICIS ITALY/Le Pub
Global CEO Le Pub, Global CCO Publicis Worldwide & CCO Publicis Groupe Italy: Bruno Bertelli
CEO Publicis Italy, Global CCO Publicis Italy & Le Pub Amsterdam: Cristiana Boccassini
Global CCO Publicis Italy & Le Pub Amsterdam: Mihnea Gheorghiu
Global Executive Creative Director Publicis Italy: Andrey Tyukavkin
Global Executive Creative Director Le Pub Amsterdam: Milos Obradovic
Global Creative Director Publicis Italy: Eoin Sherry
Creative Director Publicis Italy: Luca Boncompagni
Senior Copywriter Le Pub Amsterdam: Christopher Penman
General Manager Le Pub Amsterdam: Eleni Charakleia
Global Client Service Director Publicis Italy & Le Pub Amsterdam: Paola Natellis
Group Account Director Publicis Italy: Ilaria Castiglioni
Account Director Publicis Italy: Benedetta Neri
Project Manager Le Pub Amsterdam: Carolina Van Maasdijk
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Le Pub Amsterdam: Charles Laporte Aust
Global Chief Strategy Officer Publicis Italy & Le Pub Amsterdam: Bela Ziemann
Strategy Director at Publicis Italy: Monica Radulescu
Global data strategist Le Pub Amsterdam: Ilko Petkov
Chief Creation Officer Publicis Italy: Francesca Zazzera
Head of Video Production Publicis Italy: Anna Sica
TV Producer Publicis Italy: Barbara Brown
MAIN ASSETS PRODUCTION COMPANY
Production Company: DIVISION
Director: Francois Rousselet
DoP: Paul Guilhaume
Executive Producer: Jules de Chateleux
Producer: Aurelie Bruneau
MAIN ASSETS POST PRODUCTION
Post-Production Company: The Mill Paris
Producer: Claire Garraud
Post Producer and VFX Supervisor: Stephane Pivron
Editor: Adriana Legay
Editor Prodigious (cut down 30+15): Enrico Munarini
MUSIC
Original music: Justin Hurwitz
two time academy award winner
DIGITAL ASSETS AND PRODUCT DEV
PUBLICIS ITALY/Le Pub
Global Account Director Le Pub Amsterdam: Derek Muller
Head of Delivery Le Pub Amsterdam: Siebren Benedictus
Head of Digital Production Publicis Italy: Vittorio Cafiero
Creative Director Publicis Italy: Diego Tardani
Senior Art Director Le Pub Amsterdam: Santi Urso
Associate Creative & Design Director Publicis Italy: Valentino Borghesi
Art Director Publicis Italy: Joao Araujo
Copywriter Publicis Italy: Ruben De Barros
TV Producer Publicis Italy: Sabrina Sanfratello
Social Media Director Le Pub Amsterdam: Ali Hares
DIGITAL ASSETS - Boomerang. Part of Publicis Groupe
Chief Creative Oficer: Eldin Fetahovic
Chief Production Officer: Fikret Fetahovic
Chief Commercial Officer: Alexander Veltman Executive
Creative Director: Rico de Lange
Senior Creative: Bruno Lopes
Senior Creative: Santi Urso
Account Director: Charlotte Grotenhuis
Senior Project Lead: Manja Schuurhof
Senior Project Manager: Ilse Carpay
Digital Producer: Esteban Cuenca
Digital Producer: Bronson Wilson
Digital Producer: Vic Krens
Post Production Supervisor: Paulo Pennings
Post Production Lead: Yulia Vinchon
Lead Editor: Mike Duistermaat
Senior Editor: Anton Veselov
Colorist: Cyriel Roumen
Director: Frits Taberima
DOP: Olaf van Dam
Senior Producer: Laura Thrower
Focus Puller: Maxime van Erp
Gaer: Ernst Jan Thieme
Best Boys: Patrick Galvin + Tessa Holmes
Make Up Artist: Fieke Brokkelkamp
Stylists: Saskia de Vos / Christi Batelaan
Food Stylist: Hans Hogervorst
Dentsu RedStar (Media)
Global Client Director: Kate Hinz
Global Strategy Partner: Richard Wright
Strategic Digital Director: Ricardo Lopes
Global PR: Fast Horse; Edelman
US LAUNCH EVENT:
Production company: Picrow
Director: Sergio Cilli
EP: Dal Wolf
EP: Anthony Ficalora
Producer: Susan DePalma
DP: Tom Banks
AD: Gabriel Blom
Production Designer: Edmund Levine
US Launch
Agencies: Canvas, Fast Horse, Rogers & Cowan
