The beer brand challenged two guys to meet someone from 194 different countries in 2 weeks, without leaving Amsterdam.

We present to you, ‘194 Countries. 14 Days. 2 Guys. 1 City.’ Picture ‘Around the World in 80 Days,’ except with fewer days and a lot less traveling. Or rather, no traveling.

The Dutch brewing company Heineken International recently challenged two ordinary guys to meet someone from all 194 internationally recognized countries worldwide. However, there were two catches: they only had the first 2 weeks in December to do this, and they weren’t allowed to leave Amsterdam, which is where Heineken is headquartered.

While this was a rather tall order, the two average Joes used all the help they could get. The campaign used a highly social approach on Facebook to encourage fans to get involved and become a part of the global Heineken community in order to achieve this seemingly impossible mission.

By hosting the campaign through their Facebook page, Heineken encouraged participants to send in their names or those of friends and family who would be in Amsterdam that the fans could meet on their way to all 194 countries.

The Facebook page also allows you to check out the individual stories and videos from the people that they meet, and you can even search their profile to find interactions from specific countries. You can also learn about the two guys, Barnaby and Mick, and interact socially with other Heineken fans.

Unfortunately, the competition ended yesterday. While they fell just short of their goal, they were able to meet people from 151 out of the 194 countries on their list. That’s certainly still impressive, and gives new meaning to the saying ‘the world in your backyard.’

Check out the video of the campaign below.

Heineken

Images by Heineken