Dive Brief:
- Heineken Light is airing a series of new ads featuring the TV and Broadway actor, awards-show host, and comedian Neil Patrick Harris.
- The move comes following several years of declining sales for the brand, which has struggled to win market share almost from its inception. Last year Heineken reformulated the beer in an attempt to improve taste.
- The ads feature Harris expressing tongue-in-cheek surprise at television regulations that ban the drinking of beer on camera by spokesmen.
Dive Insight:
My how time flies. Doogie Howser is old enough to drink!
And while Mr. Harris brings plenty of star power to the brand, Heineken Light still faces stiff competition in a crowded beer market. An article by USA Today based on data from Beer Marketer's Insights says sales of the beer fell 36.7% from 2007 to 2012.