--- description: Titled "Worlds Apart: An Experiment," the commercial pairs strangers with opposing views on transgender rights, climate change and feminism title: Heineken Ad Pairs Up Strangers With Opposing Views image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbad351fbf80285ce/6988caf28fd2ee7951356c7d/gettyimages-671595486.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Advertising](/tag/advertising/) ## Advertising Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Heineken Ad Pairs Up Strangers With Opposing Views on Transgender Rights, Climate Change and Feminism by [Lisa Marie Segarra](/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2017 5:05 PM CUT  NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: Heineken bottles on display at The Cities Project by Heineken on April 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Heineken) NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: Heineken bottles on display at The Cities Project by Heineken on April 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Heineken)Ilya S. Savenok—Getty by [Lisa Marie Segarra](/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2017 5:05 PM CUT After a string of controversy resulted from recent ads released by [Pepsi](http://time.com/4726500/pepsi-ad-kendall-jenner/ "undefined") and [SheaMoisture](http://time.com/4753668/shea-moisture-commercial-backlash/ "undefined"), a new commercial by Heineken seems to have hit the right note among consumers. > [](https://twitter.com/Heineken%5FUK/status/857194957249146880) Titled “Worlds Apart: An Experiment,” the two-minute-long commercial shows six strangers paired up, unaware that their partners hold opposing views to their own. After the pairs follow instructions to build a bar together, a video plays of each person voicing their opinions on hot-button issues like transgender rights, climate change and feminism. The experiment concludes with a choice: to leave or to discuss those differences over a beer. All three pairs choose to talk at the bar, some seeming open to changing their views. The ad has received praise online. > [](https://twitter.com/HawkeyeSteck/status/857591733697351680) > [](https://twitter.com/Signature%5Fparis/status/857593635784843265) However, others were skeptical about how realistic the commercial is, or if it was staged. Heineken responded on Twitter, saying there was no acting, and that the ad features “real stories.” Some also questioned whether people could really change their views so easily. > [](https://twitter.com/iArnelTolete/status/857602131875868676) > [](https://twitter.com/anteknorr/status/857578778679099395) Some even pointed out that the commercial bore similarities to the controversial Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner, by apparently implying that a drink could solve problems. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4757540/heineken-ad-worlds-apart-commercial/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4757540/heineken-ad-worlds-apart-commercial/"},"headline":"Heineken Ad Pairs Up Strangers With Opposing Views on Transgender Rights, Climate Change and Feminism","datePublished":"2017-04-27T17:05:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:38:13.257Z","description":"The beer company is the latest to use an ad to discuss social issues","url":"https://time.com/4757540/heineken-ad-worlds-apart-commercial/","keywords":["Advertising","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbad351fbf80285ce/6988caf28fd2ee7951356c7d/gettyimages-671595486.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Marie Segarra","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbad351fbf80285ce/6988caf28fd2ee7951356c7d/gettyimages-671595486.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"heineken-new-ad","caption":"The Cities Project By Heineken","creditText":"Ilya S. 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