People dress up in red-carpet worthy looks to take the trash out, walk the dog, go grocery shopping and visit the launderette in a new spot from Heineken paying tribute to people's resilience during seemingly never-ending lockdowns.

The brand's latest spot is set to the famous Vera Lynn wartime song "We'll Meet Again" and shows how despite closures of bars and restaurants and rules on social distancing, people can still make the most of their limited opportunities to leave the house. It ends with the line, "Nightlife lives on."

Taking the garbage out in ball gowns and tiaras has been a real-life trend in the pandemic, as reported by the Mirror in 2020; after a woman in Australia posted a photo of herself dressed as Elsa from "Frozen" taking the trash out, many people posted their own bin selfies around the world.

Heineken's global senior director Bram Westenbrink tells Ad Age the ad was "inspired by the ways people have made the mundane, everyday moments of lockdown something unexpected and fun in relatable ways, from dressing to impress when taking the garbage out, through to turning a dog walk into a dance party for one."

"The campaign is a celebration of people’s resilience, and creativity over the last year, as the world found new ways to keep the spirit of ‘going out’ alive but from the safety of their homes," he adds.

The spot was created by Publicis Italy and the agency's new Le Pub division based in Amsterdam, and it was directed by Prettybird's François Rousselet in Barcelona, Spain during the pandemic following COVID-19 protocol. 

Heineken has been chronicling the various phases of life during the pandemic in a series of spots; in April last year it urged people to drink responsibly in the spot "Ode to Close" while it also depicted the perils of video-call drinks parties and celebrated the awkwardness of bars re-opening under social distancing regulations in summer last year.

The latest global campaign breaks at a time when several European countries, including France and Italy, are back in lockdowns, while others like the U.K. are tentatively emerging. It points to a glimmer of hope for the future as well as people getting on with their lives despite the hardships. It is rolling out on social platforms in a number of markets over the next month.

"We appreciate that restrictions in countries are different and constantly shifting, therefore, the roll-out of this global campaign will only happen when markets feel that the tone and message is appropriate and resonates locally," says Westenbrink.

He adds that Heineken will also continue with its initiatives helping bars, again on a market-by-market basis. Last year it ran campaigns including "Back the Bars," encouraging customers to buy a virtual drink to have later at their favorite bar, and "Shutter ads," which turned shuttered bars' windows into ad space. 

"Considering the varied restrictions and reopening of bars in different countries, we have become more agile and flexible in how we create our campaigns, and we will continue to support both our on-trade and off-trade partners in our communications."