Heineken Names A New CMO (Wanna Come on the Pod?) and It's Time To Bring Back One of MY Favorite Ads of All-Time
Jack Westerkamp, Co-Founder
I just read this article and I learned that Heineken has named Alison Payne as their new CMO.
“Payne, a 25-year marketing veteran with experience at PepsiCo, Kellogg and Diageo, comes to Heineken USA from the brand’s global commerce leadership team in Amsterdam, where she led the brewer’s international brand portfolio including Birra Moretti, Edelweiss, Strongbow and Sol.”
Alison Payne appears to be extremely talented, smart, and more than qualified for the CMO role. With that, I would like to make a request and maybe provide some unsolicited advice.
Alison, We NEED to bring back the “Let a Stranger Drive You Home” ad. This feels like a pretty niche thing, but I absolutely love this commercial. A major part of that is because I think “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie is one of the greatest songs of all time.
I can see it now – instead of a taxi driver, it’s an Uber or a Lyft or whatever. Hell, make it a taxi cab still for all I care! There is nothing that brings people together like singing together in a cab after a long night on the town. You’re probably sharing it with 3 people you just met. Your buddy, her buddy, and her buddy from college that you ran into at the bar. You’re en route to somebody’s apartment (you only have an address, no name, but your buddy swears it’s a “work friend”).
I imagine in the new ad, instead of the cabbie turning up the radio, it’s your friend asking the Uber driver if they have an aux. In that moment, you find out immediately if your driver is going to be cool or if you’re about to have an awkward ride to the afterparty listening to a random Joe Rogan podcast about aliens performing brain surgery.
Of course, in the ad, the cabbie says “Yes, I have an aux!” The whole car explodes in cheering, and as you’re smashed between two people you’ve never met before, you’re all able to relate over one thing: the lyrics to “Just a Friend”.
“YOOOUUUUUUU, YOU GOT WHAT IIIII NEEEEEEEEDDDDD!!!!”
The commercial writes itself, and I will personally play the role of “backseat, left window” in the shoot. Hell, I won’t even speak, and I’ll do it for free.
So, Alison, if you want to talk about this idea on the podcast, you have an open invite. I’m sure you have incredible ideas and the last thing you need is Jack telling you what to do, but consider the door “always open”.
- Jack
