CASE 240 / Heineken / 2010
The Entrance
A crowded scene became a set of optional stories rather than one compulsory viewing path.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. Heineken credits Fredrik Bond for the main film; the One Show interactive entry separately credits Nick Rutter and Sonny London.
Recognition: 2012 One Show Interactive: Merit, Online Films & Video / Long Form - Single, for The Entrance Interactive Film.
Launch / edition: 2010. Award years: 2012.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
Heineken’s launch release describes a new global campaign presenting a worldly brand identity. The Entrance introduced a socially adept protagonist moving through a party. The record concerns that film and its related character stories, not every execution that subsequently used the Open Your World umbrella.
How the idea came to life
The main film follows a series of encounters before the protagonist joins the music performance. Eleven supporting shorts supplied background to characters and relationships. The One Show entry documents an interactive version in which hotspots paused the main narrative and opened additional material before allowing the viewer to continue.
How it reached people
Heineken says the film first appeared on its Facebook page at the end of 2010, followed by YouTube material and planned television and cinema distribution in 2011. The main film and its extensions offered different depths of engagement rather than requiring every viewer to watch the entire story collection.
Supporting sources: Primary award archive → Primary brand release distributed by newswire →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
The interactive edition received a 2012 One Show Merit. Heineken’s launch release reported early online viewing, but that company count is not used here as evidence of brand preference, incremental sales or the added value of interactivity. No controlled comparison of linear and interactive versions is established.
The creative mechanism.
Character relationships create entry points into a modular narrative
Create questions inside the scene
A secondary character becomes an invitation when a viewer senses a relationship that has not been fully explained. Build these openings into the central story instead of attaching unrelated bonus content afterward. Test whether viewers can identify a question they actually want answered. More content is useful only when it resolves genuine curiosity.
Keep the main route complete
Optional exploration should enrich a satisfying core experience, not repair an incomplete one. Someone who never clicks must still understand the central idea. For small teams, a short main story and two worthwhile side paths can be stronger than an elaborate branching system. Provide an obvious return point and respect the viewer’s time.
Separate reuse from duplication
Producing supporting material alongside the main shoot can create a coherent world, but each piece needs a different informational job. Plan the relationship between assets before filming. Repeated footage with a different title may increase the asset count without adding value. Assess whether each extension reveals a perspective unavailable in the main narrative.
Measure depth without rewarding confusion
A long session may mean fascination or poor navigation. Pair engagement data with task comprehension, accessibility and an easy exit. Compare voluntary exploration with a simple linear alternative while keeping audience and media conditions similar. The relevant question is whether extra depth improves useful understanding, not whether interaction can be made unavoidable.
The intended behavior loop
- 01Notice the distinctive invitation
- 02Understand the relevant brand role
- 03Choose whether to participate
- 04Recall or discuss the experience
Growth job: Introduce a brand world → reward curiosity → deepen voluntary exploration. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Design one complete story with optional branches that reward specific questions a viewer already has.
Keep these boundaries
Do not reproduce the film’s characters or imply that alcohol creates social ability. Use an unrelated, age-appropriate adaptation.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
A ceramics studio publishes a short original making-of film with two optional links about glaze selection and kiln preparation.
Build the test
- Make the main film understandable without clicking.
- Use accessible captions and plain links rather than time-critical hotspots.
- Ask consenting adult viewers which unanswered question led them to an extension.
Measure the right thing
Compare useful understanding and voluntary branch completion against a linear page; distinguish navigation trouble from interest.
Know when to stop
Stop if essential information becomes hidden or the branching version creates accessibility barriers.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Introduce a brand world → reward curiosity → deepen voluntary exploration
What to adapt: Design one complete story with optional branches that reward specific questions a viewer already has.
Prerequisites: Original creative development; Operational and rights review; A comparison and proportionate measurement.
Smaller-team route: A ceramics studio publishes a short original making-of film with two optional links about glaze selection and kiln preparation. Constraint: Do not reproduce the film’s characters or imply that alcohol creates social ability. Use an unrelated, age-appropriate adaptation.
Budget: Not established by the cited sources. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
- What customer tension does character relationships create entry points into a modular narrative address?
- What evidence would distinguish attention from a useful business or social outcome?
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- The One Club: The Entrance Interactive Film →Primary award archive · Supports: Interactive mechanics, eleven shorts, edition credits and 2012 Merit.
- Heineken: global campaign launch release →Primary brand release distributed by newswire · Supports: Late-2010 premiere, main-film story and credits, distribution plan.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.