Let’s Vicariously Enjoy One Lad’s Wild Night in the City Courtesy of Heineken, W+K

W+K Amsterdam is back with yet another sprawling, upbeat, frenetic spot for Heineken, which is part of the brew brand’s global campaign highlighting a man living it up in his cityscape. The latest spot, aptly dubbed “The City,” features a little Elvis swing as our hero goes on the hunt for a mysterious gal with the help of a host of lost business cards. Along the way, he experiences everything that makes his city so vibrant. The look, sound and feel is basically the template of what we’ve come to expect from Heineken ads in recent years, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Regarding the campaign concept, which revolves around encouraging men to explore their cities, Heineken global senior brand director Gianluca Di Tondo tells Marketing“Men of the world want to make the most out of their time in the city, because they know life only gives them one shot. So they really live their city by seeking out new experiences and adventures and they have an underlying fear of missing out on the best ones.” At the very least, it makes our desk job writing about such experiences rather lame. Credits after the jump.

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W+K Amsterdam Debuts ‘There’s Power in Every Game’ for Powerade

W+K Amsterdam have a launched a new, global World Cup 2014 campaign for Powerade, “the official sports drink of FIFA.”In addition to television, the campaign also includes print/out of home, digital, and online documentary films (more on that later).

“There’s Power in Every Game” centers around Andrés Iniesta, the Spanish star who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup. He takes center stage in the 60-second spot (featured above), which also features five amateur athletes from around the world. Each of these athletes has “overcome challenges in their lives and in the process have lifted their teammates, rallied supporters and inspired communities through their dedication and achievements in the sport” — which exemplifies the campaign’s #PowerThrough message.

Each of these amateur athletes will be featured in their own documentary, starting with the inspirational story of Nicolai “Nico” Calabria. Debuted at the Kicking + Screaming Football Festival in New York last week and being released as a television spot in addition to its online release, the two minute film tells Nico’s story growing up with one leg and defying expectations to succeed as an athlete. Incorporating an impressively-edited mix of home video footage and live action film, it’s a powerful telling of Nico’s story, and well worth a watch.

“Nico’s story is one of unwavering determination,” said Brynn Bardacke, global group creative director for Powerade. “He truly embodies what we mean when we say there’s power in every player and power in every game.”

Stick around for “Nico & Powerade,” along with credits, after the jump. continued…

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Heineken Responds to ‘The Odyssey’ Authenticity Doubters

Following the release of W+K Amsterdam’s “The Odyssey” last week, Heineken has released a tongue-in-cheek response to the comment section skeptics who questioned the spot’s authenticity.

The 2:10, presented as “the genuine response of our official PR representative Dymfke van Der Gaal,” replies directly to YouTube commenters who publicly questioned the authenticity of the individual talents in “The Odyssey.” As evidence, Heineken presents the casting calls for the guys in the ad, which are predictably goofy. In addition the PR response video, Heineken has also uploaded the casting calls for each of the talents featured in “The Odyssey.” The PR response fits well with the lighthearted tone of the campaign, and reinforces its core message. As Sandrine Huijgen, Global Communications Director at Heineken puts it, “When we saw the comments about The Odyssey TVC, we wanted to show that there are no boundaries between real and fake, proving that real men have unique skills, and everyone is legendary at something.” Stick around for the original “The Odyssey” spot and credits following the jump. continued…

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