• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 2, 2016

Heineken has enlisted Benicio Del Toro for its largest-ever global campaign, “There’s More Behind the Star.”

The concept: Humorously linking the actor’s own star status to stories about the 142-year-old heritage, quality and unmatched international footprint behind the brand famous for its “star” symbol. 

In one of the first three new TV ads, the actor declares that Heineken is “world famous, like me” — only to affect resigned disappointment when he is mistaken (not for the first time, apparently) for Antonio Banderas. 

In another of the ads, “Enjoyed in 192 Countries,” Del Toro and Heineken global brewmaster Willem van Waesberghe engage in a game of geographic one-upmanship to convey the point that thanks to stringent quality control, the beer tastes exactly the same in all of those countries.

In total, six bilingual TV ads (in English and Spanish) from Publicis Worldwide will be airing in more than 70 countries through 2017. The campaign will also include five short films for digital.

The brand’s U.S. Web site will focus on celebrating its heritage and all-natural ingredients; and its packaging will get a slight refresh.