Heineken Tells a Lockdown Love Story in Emotional Short Film

Heineken launches a new campaign, made for markets opening following the lifting of pandemic restrictions. The campaign entitled, A Lockdown Love Story, is an emotive and optimistic short film that looks ahead to all the new experiences and opportunities that will be unlocked as bars reopen and the world eventually emerges from the pandemic.

A Lockdown Love Story, which follows characters Lola and Charlie, celebrates the ways people formed new connections in the virtual world during the pandemic, before discovering that nothing that quite compares to going out in the real world.

A Lockdown Love Story is a metaphor based on a globally relevant insight which is particularly pertinent in Asian markets as they emerge from lockdowns; the story focuses on celebrating the potential and excitement that awaits us as bars reopen and people start returning to their vibrant social lives, with all the unexpected surprises.

Created by Publicis Italy, directed by Show Yanagisawa and shot in Japan, the TVC features an upbeat soundtrack, which delivers an uplifting campaign is a hopeful celebration of the new encounters and endless possibilities to look-forward to, as the world gradually begins to reopen.

Bram Westenbrink, global head Heineken brand said: “Since the start of the pandemic, and the launch of our ‘Socialise Responsibly’ platform, Heineken has been creating campaigns that aim to inspire people to get out and support their local bars and nightlife venues once it is safe to do so. A Lockdown Love Story does exactly that, creating a time-capsule of how we maintained connections during the pandemic and providing an optimistic outlook to the new and surprising opportunities that await as bars and nightlife venues return to normal.”

Show Yanagisawa said: “A Lockdown Love Story is an incredibly uplifting and hopeful campaign that I think will really connect with audiences because it’s a story we can all relate to in some way. We really wanted to capture the excitement of being able to go out, meet new people, and experience new things again.”