Heineken gets icon headache

It seems that Heineken Ireland just can’t help emulating compatriot Guinness when it comes to being accused of copying ideas for ads.

You may remember a student unsuccessfully attempting to sue Guinness in the Nineties, claiming that the drinks giant had copied a showreel he had sent the company with its “Anticipation” ad.

Well Heineken Ireland and McCann Erickson have a similar headache, but instead of upsetting a skint student, the pair have managed to anger dance music guru John Reynolds, who has threatened legal action for an alleged copyright infringement in the “Where’s your head at?” campaign.

Reynold’s Sonarstate company claims that its Speakerboy character bares more than a passing resemblance to the Heineken ad’s Speakerhead icon.

The lesson here is that beer ads shouldn’t have turned all techno or arty. The Hofmeister bear never had any such problems.