Stella encourages people to get to know their neighbors this holiday season

By Kyle O'Brien, Creative Works Editor

November 21, 2019 | 3 min read

Everybody has a busy life, which means we may not pay attention to those who live closest to us – our neighbors. Stella Artois is trying to get people to be more neighborly with its holiday campaign, ‘Neighbors.’

Stella Artios' 'Neighbors' holiday campaign

Stella cited recent Pew study that states that less than one-third (31%) of Americans admit to knowing their neighbors and that number drops even lower, to less than a quarter (21%), for respondents under the age of 30.

To try to turn those numbers around, the brand teamed up with documentary filmmaker Tatia Pilieva to capture what happens when strangers, who are neighbors, meet for the first time.

Shot in various neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the docufilm follows a series of honest connections, interactions and conversations between six pairs of neighbors who may pass each other in the same hall every day, but, until this opportunity, had never truly met.

The pairs meet separately on a couch in front of a table with a few beers, each chatting, asking questions and getting to know each other. What blossoms are friendships of people who really care what the other is saying. The film ends with hugs, hand holding and promises to continue their connections after the film stops rolling.

People can log on to the Stella ‘Neighbors’ page to get to know the participants more, like Leroy and Jake, two people in the entertainment industry sharing ideas and toasts, and Mary and Cassandra, two women who live in the same building who share their life’s details.

Also featured in the docufilm is the 'Stella Together Holiday Sweater Pack' – a customized Stella Artois two-pack that serves as a catalyst to bring neighbors together – where two beers are cradled in a red knit button-down sweater, much like neighborly Fred Rogers used to wear on his show.

The brand is also giving consumers the chance to snag their very own pack for free, at stellaartois.com/neighbors. The brand’s neighborly mission is part of the Stella’s larger ‘Moments Worth Making’ holiday campaign, an effort to celebrate the festive season by inspiring people to rediscover the joy of connecting with those that matter most.