Heineken, which has been humorously charting how we've adapted our drinking behavior throughout the course of the pandemic, is the latest brand to welcome nightlife back; but with a twist; rather than over-excited youngsters, its new global spot features fully vaxxed seniors going wild and embracing nightlife. 

The spot, from Publicis Italy and Le Pub, depicts groovy older folk dancing, drinking and swapping phone numbers in a neon-lit nightclub, and racing down to the sea for a midnight dip. It ends with a call to action, with the words "The night belongs to the fully vaccinated. Time to join them," and the hashtag #Freshbeginnings.  Ali Ali at Good People directed the spot, which was shot in Athens, Greece under COVID regulations.

With the ad, Heineken aims to encourage Gen Z and millennials to get their COVID vaccines and join their grandparents in being able to party safely. The brand wants to encourage everyone to socialize responsibly but with a note of caution; it cites research by Morning Consult suggesting that one in four 18-34 year olds say they will not get vaccinated this summer.

"It's time for the seniors to be the early adopters," Bruno Bertelli, global chief creative officer at Publicis, told Creativity. "Having received their vaccinations ahead of the curve, we gave them the spotlight to remind those with vaccine hesitancy of the long-awaited sociable moments that we have missed throughout lockdown. Previous campaigns have focused around socializing responsibly but as we hit an inflection point that brings us closer to post-pandemic, we’re sharing a fun message for all that there are fresh beginnings ahead.”

Heineken's previous pandemic ads have covered Zoom party dangers and social distancing as well preventing bottle mix-ups at house parties. It joins a number of brands welcoming us back to nightlife post-COVID recently; Seagrams tapped comedian and actor Iliza Shlesinger to give pub-goers a refresher on bar manners,  Bubly heralded the return of New York City nightlife and numerous brands have looked forward to post-COVID normalcy.