Welcome to 'Dropped', Heineken's Social Experiment Where Only Legendary Travelers Need Apply

NEW YORK, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Are legends born, or made? To find out, Heineken®, as part of its latest global campaign ‘Voyage’, is undertaking its most daring experiment yet. It is testing what men are truly made of when taken out of their daily lives and dropped into the great unknown. Imagine the situation. You are a highly social character, outgoing and confident. You get chosen to go on a legendary adventure – a new experience that will test your resourcefulness. But then you find yourself in the freezing wilderness of Alaska – alone on a glacier, with nothing but a giant life-ring, a tuxedo and a plane ticket to get you home – and the airport is hundreds of miles away.

This is ‘Voyage’, a new campaign from Heineken® that takes different men from across the world and drops them in remote global locations with nothing but the most basic of supplies and directions. The result is ‘Dropped’ – a series of episodic adventures following our intrepid explorers on their legendary travel experience.

‘Voyage’ is the fifth installment of the Heineken ‘Legends’ platform. The integrated campaign, which will live on a variety of platforms across broadcast, digital and mobile, will allow consumers to have a truly immersive experience via the Heineken® Dropped YouTube channel. Here, viewers can follow each ‘Dropped’ voyage, access documentary-style content and contribute their own travel experiences.

Beginning today, men, ages 21 and over, can also compete for the chance to participate and test their skills cross-borders. To enter, Heineken is challenging travelers to record a brief video with their legendary take on an everyday journey, upload it to any site and tweet the link with #DROPPED by June 17, 2013. From all the entries, the most legendary traveler will be chosen to participate and get ‘dropped’ into the unknown. Additional details can be found on the Heineken Dropped YouTube page: www.youtube.com/heinekendropped.

Every ‘Dropped’ travel adventure will be tailored towards the character of its main protagonist – forcing them to discover their own limits and conquer their fears. Across four continents they’ll face a multitude of challenges – tough terrain, curious locals and unusual modes of transport. As the Dropped episodes unfold, so the social experiment will come to life, with viewers of each voyage able to follow how each traveler fares through a series of journal entries and journey updates.

Their final destination? Home. Will they make it? The answer lies within each adventurer. The outcome of each Dropped encounter is completely unscripted, with the participants desire to overcome the challenges the only measurement for success. For all we know legends aren’t made, they’re Dropped.

The Voyage TVC, the inspiration for the Dropped travel experiment, along with episodes from the first Dropped adventure, launch via Heineken.com, YouTube (YouTube.com/Heineken) and Facebook (Facebook.com/Heineken) today, June 3, with subsequent Dropped Voyages commencing every three weeks. Each Dropped experience will encompass three episodes, complemented with behind-the-scenes content.

"With Voyage, the fifth installment of our Legends campaign, we want to go further than inspiring men to be resourceful and open to the world – we are giving a few of them the opportunity to go beyond the borders of their comfort zone," said Sandrine Huijgen , Global Communications Director, Heineken. "’Dropped’ is a social experiment that will challenge the participants to display their true character and if they do, have a legendary travel experience."

Finally, consumers who buy special packs of Heineken between August 1 and September 30 will be able to download The Heineken Star augmented reality app that features image recognition technology. By scanning the new star bottle with the app, people can unlock engaging content, a chance to win limited-edition Heineken travel gear and adrenaline filled journeys all over the world.
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