Pepsi has officially pulled their controversial ad featuring Kendall Jenner ending racial tension by handing a police officer a Pepsi. In what seems like an effort to counter the debated message, Heineken has released an ad of their own. The company is known for believing in the simple gesture of having a beer and how that can bring people together. The video beings with text across the screen that reads “WORLDS APART, AN EXPERIMENT.”
The ad features six individuals, paired into three groups of two. For the purposes of the ad, and as the ad actually labels them, we have: a transgender woman, an anti-trans male, a feminist, a sexist, a climate change denier, and an environmental activist. The viewer is already prepared for some sort of conflict between the different identifying individuals. The pairs are placed into a room together, told nothing about one another, and begin the challenge.
The challenge consists of four parts. The Icebreaker: the pairs put together different items that involve close interactions and conversations. The Question and Answer: the two individuals ask a variety of questions to familiarize each other. They still have no idea they are sitting with someone who vehemently disagrees with some of their major life principles. The Bridge Building: they put together a few blocks sitting around and build a structure, which turns out to be a bar. The Decision: they are prompted to grab a Heineken and watch a video. Sitting next to this stranger, their own faces are revealed in a video talking about their beliefs. Immediately the individuals become a bit uncomfortable and are asked to either leave or sit down and discuss their views over a beer.
Watch the video below to see if the experiment will allow people to follow the #openyourworld mentality or if we are really stuck in a time of universal differences.
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