American musician Chance the Rapper, who is from Chicago, Illinois, called the advert "terribly racist", causing mixed reactions among Twitter users. However, a spokesperson for the brewer admitted the ad had "missed the mark".
The rap star tweeted: "I think some companies are purposely putting out noticeably racist ads so they can get more views."
Heineken commercial
He added: "And that s**t's racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn't help by posting about it. But (laughing/crying emoji) I gotta just say though.
"The 'sometimes lighter is better' Heineken commercial is terribly racist OMG."
He then posted a link an advert for Heineken Light, which is not currently available in the UK, that shows a light-skinned male bartender serving a bottle of Heineken Light before the tag line "Sometimes, lighter is better".
Chance the Rapper followed this with a post that said: "I'm not saying boycott them or go off, I'm just noticing how often it happens and I think they [are] baiting consumers and tweeters and freelancers and s**t."
Not boycotting
He said: "Like I didn't wanna tweet about it so bad (two laughing/crying emojis) but it's like, how can you not?"
A Heineken USA spokesperson said: “For decades, Heineken has developed diverse marketing that shows there is more that unites than divides us.
“While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer – we missed the mark, are taking feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns.”