Colleagues left behind at work can haunt you at the bar, Heineken says

When Friday rolls around, no one likes to be left back at the office if colleagues head off for drinks. With that in mind, Le Pub APAC, Publicis Groupe's bespoke Heineken team in the region, has devised a clever campaign aimed at leaving no colleague behind. 

Fronted by actor Park Hyung Sik, the campaign suggests that those stuck working late can become 'ghosts' at the bar. It depicts a group of colleagues who head to the bar only to be haunted by glasses and bar stools moving around.  A teaser for 'The Ghosted Bar'  that Park recently shared  on Instagram appearing to show paranormal activity in a bar.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 박형식 / PARKHYUNGSIK (@phs1116)

In the full video (top) intended for Singapore and Malaysian audiences, a split screen eventually reveals that the ghost's movements at the bar mimic those of the sad sack left doing grunt work back at the office. 

Ad Nut likes the work. The teaser, which garnered millions of views and nearly 2 million likes within days (thanks to help from 15 influencers who helped share it) creates just the right mix of celebrity and intrigue. 

The video itself is on-point, clear and clever, the perfect addition to Heineken's #WorkResponsibly campaign. (This is the third in a series following 'The Closer' last June and 'The Office Cleaners' last December).

Given that the campaign is all about getting together and socialising, it makes sense that it will be backed up by live activations at various 'haunts', including a paranormal ‘ghosted bar’ experience in Singapore on April 19 with another 40 of them across Malaysia. A fun digital element is the Ghost Generator for mobiles that lets you vaporise friends into ghosts when they don't leave work on time and can get them a free pint at the bar if they show up at the live bar event. 

Ad Nut also likes seeing the hard research insights from the markets involved that back it up. A YouGov survey commissioned by Heineken found a common reason (45%) for ‘ghosting’ friends in Singapore and Malaysia is due to work commitments and these markets suffer somewhat from 'presenteeism', the fear of leaving work unless the boss has. 

Among the other findings:

• 46.5% of employees in SG and Malaysia have “ghosted” friends for work obligations
• 64.5% feel burned out at work
• 42.5% say work has strained relationships with friends and partners.

"Through this meaningful project by Heineken, we want to encourage employees to start working responsibly,” says actor Park Hyung Sik. “We should enjoy our social life and not let it be impacted by our work,” he added.

Cheers to that. 

CREDITS:

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.