Heineken has been making waves in the ad world ever since it released the Walk-In Fridge spot, but has clearly outdone itself with The Entrance. A new web-only spot, the ad has quickly racked up 3 million views due to a clever campaign with additional content on Facebook and Youtube.

Heineken knows how to make The Entrance

For those who think they know how to arrive at a party in style, I give you The Entrance.

We follow one well-dressed and well-liked man as he tries to get a Heineken at a party in a display that would rival Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. He doesn’t talk as the soundtrack is provided by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, a band playing in the background of said party.

Instead, the video focuses on the man’s interactions with all the guests, which are all pretty epic. We see him give an eye back to a rather salty looking sailor, get in a mock duel with a gunslinger, and even shoot some hoops. My favorite had to be the mock karate battle, which had some pretty slick moves to get possession of the Heineken bottle. In the end, our star joins the band on stage, adding in some jazz (yaz) flute, and getting the party really started.

I really enjoyed The Entrance. There was a lot of action, though none of it was taken too seriously. It had extremely high production value for  an online-only campaign and kept me engaged the whole time. The main character was likable enough, and the wide variety of supporting cast members made it all very memorable. I even liked the Anchorman throwback to him playing the jazz flute.

The Entrance embraces social media

If the ad left you wanting more explanation and content, it does so for a good reason. Heineken pushes over to its Facebook page, where Liking their The Entrance tab unlocks additional footage of each of the minor characters introduced in the main spot.

I posted my favorite here, but they are all pretty good. ‘Duel’ and ‘Dragonbreath’ are pretty funny, and you can even see the full music video for the Galaxy Asteroids Tour that includes the commercial and extended scenes.  The humor is pretty funny and off-the-wall, and just sticks to making one quick joke. Since they are all very watchable, even the lowest ranked one has 10,000 views, showing people are liking and clicking through and enjoying it!

You can check them all out for yourself, but I find this great additional content, one of the main reasons Facebook campaigns should exist to begin with. A Page that just gives the some commercial and no additional content is never going to get a Like from me. But I will like anything that gives me great new videos, exclusives, info, or anything that makes the click worth it.

The only thing I didn’t understand is why the ad is getting little recognition on their wall. I would be posting about it every day, or some of the more supplementary videos, or at least some fun new facts that related to it. Take advantage of The Entrance going viral, Heineken!

Takeaways from Heineken’s The Entrance viral vid

You know, the success of this ad proves one thing – we are in no way tired of the ultra-masculine male character gracing our screen. We now have him in various ages and ethnicities, and it is still going strong to sell beer and body spray. The Old Spice Guy, Most Interesting Man in the World, and now The Entrance Man are all examples that have had viral success and show this genre of ads is still growing.

Funny, entertaining, action-packed, and proving we are in no way tired of male leads playing the jazz flute.

Second, I think it is important to note the quality increase in online advertisements. No longer little one-camera shoot vlogs or ‘extras’ footage, well-funded campaigns are hitting social media that is quickly raising the bar. That is not to say you need to run out and hire a film crew, but know that in our age now good sound, lighting, and composition is expected. Unless of course, you are shooting handheld to create buzz or create a viral sensation.

Also, as I always mention, give me extra content on your Facebook page, not the same crap you have everywhere else. I’m not going to hammer that point anymore.

That’s it for me this week. Check in Monday for another round of advertising, social media, and viral videos. Comments below, please. Keep the spam to yourself, and make yourself have The Entrance at a party this weekend for me.