Serving Cinema: Behind Campari’s Cannes Mads Mikkelsen Campaign

When your brand is as steeped in cinematic heritage as Campari, your advertising can’t feel like advertising. At least not in the traditional sense.

That’s the thinking that drove the recent collaboration between &FRIENDS, AKQA, and director Martin Werner on a new campaign starring the magnetic Mads Mikkelsen. Shot amid the glamour of Cannes Film Festival, the 72-second spot blends sophistication, drama, and cocktail artistry to reimagine the iconic Negroni with a narrative and a visual twist.

“Campari has a century-deep association with cinema, so the medium itself became part of the message,” say producers Harvey Palmer and Lucie Lerkkanen. “It needed to feel elevated, like a scene stolen from something larger.”

The campaign, brought to life on a tight budget with an even tighter turnaround, points to the true need of agility in craft. From capturing unscripted moments with Mads – “He brings gravity to silence like no one else,” as the producers remind us – to working with real bartenders from Milan’s legendary Camparino, no detail was neglected. Spot the orange peel garnish perforated to look like film stock.

As Harvey and Lucie put it, “It’s creative built from the inside out… teams with the right cultural instincts and ambition. That’s the way it should be.” LBB’s Zoe Antonov speaks to them to find out more.

LBB> The film feels more like a cinematic experience than a traditional ad – what were the key inspirations behind this approach?

Harvey & Lucie> We knew from the outset this couldn’t feel like a ‘campaign’ in the traditional sense. Campari has a century-deep association with cinema, so the medium itself became part of the message. Dialling up that cinematic look and feel just felt like the way to go; the tone needed to feel elevated, like a scene stolen from something larger. Having Mads on board inspired the aesthetic too; when you have an iconic actor like that on set, everything else comes up to meet him.

LBB> Can you walk us through the creative brief? What was Campari looking to achieve with this campaign?

Harvey & Lucie> The brief was twofold, Campari were one of The Cannes Film festival’s key sponsors, with a presence on the Croisette during festival week, and wanted to activate. There was also a deeper task: to remind global audiences that Campari is Negroni.

Awareness of what’s in your favourite spirit-forward mixed drink is still surprisingly low in many markets. So the brief was both brand-building and hero serve-education.

It wasn’t without its challenges though! A limited budget, limited time with talent, a shoot slap bang in the middle of the Cannes festival… and a live date 36 hours after the shoot which needed to be met!

LBB> How did collaborating with AKQA and director Martin Werner shape the final direction of the film?

Harvey & Lucie> Collaboration was everything. AKQA brought conceptual clarity and a confidence in the bold simplicity of the idea. Martin Werner then gave it gravity – his direction added layers of elegance, restraint, and emotion.

The Campari team were right there with us too, with the trust and collaboration at every step to allow us to craft something that really works. Between us all, we worked closely across creative, production, and performance to strike the right tone. It was a rare example of everyone pulling in the same direction creatively and collaborating.

LBB> The setting – Cannes Film Festival – adds a unique flair. What was the significance of this location, and how did it influence the shoot?

Harvey & Lucie> Cannes was more than a backdrop, it was a symbol. Campari has a long-standing relationship with the film world, and Cannes is arguably the pinnacle of that world. They’re also one of the main sponsors of the festival.

Setting the story here, and in fact shooting while the festival was in full swing, allowed us to tap into that cultural equity. You might not realise when you’re watching the ad, but that was shot in the Festival de Palais, during the festival week!

LBB> How did you balance tradition with innovation in the narrative when reimagining the iconic Negroni?

Harvey & Lucie> The Negroni doesn’t need reinvention, but there’s something great about a twist on a classic – that’s the idea that underpinned the whole campaign.

What sets out as a traditional narrative, is then twisted when we come out to reveal the behind-the-scenes world and it’s there that we deliver the brand message.

So, the way we build the drink in the film, and the film itself, are kind of mirrored there. In terms of the actual drinks building, we were lucky enough to have a brilliant team of bartenders on hand, who came in from the Camparino in Milan – they not only styled the drink, but worked with Mads to create it.

LBB> What was the most challenging aspect of producing a campaign that blends elegance, craft, and emotion in just 72 seconds?

Harvey & Lucie> We’re pretty used to the challenge, and in fact, 72 seconds is more than we often get! Campari allowed us the space and a flexible runtime to work to what felt right in the edit, which made that process quite free. It’s nearly a full minute before anything happens that isn’t just a bartender making a drink, so you need to trust the audience will lean in. When you have Mads on screen, they do!

LBB> How did you approach aligning Campari’s global brand image with a personal and dramatic storytelling arc?

Harvey & Lucie> Campari’s brand world is built around red passion, and when we talk about Campari and the negroni we’re always talking about being bold, complex and unapologetic. So, it was less putting two things together and more about building something to allow us to express those existing brand values and qualities in a visual and engaging way. Of course, it also helps that Negronis are delicious, and they look cool on camera too.

LBB> Were there any standout moments or improvisations from Mads that changed or elevated the final piece?

Harvey & Lucie> Loads! But two things about Mads stood out the most. He gives you so many options, and he and Martin worked together to give life to that character. He also brings gravity to silence like no one else. There’s a moment, unscripted, where his eyes are flicking from patron to serve. That beat changed the rhythm of the entire edit. Also – his line “I spent two minutes with the drink, it feels like it’s mine,” was something he improvised on set and ran with. Martin also really brought so much to the table in being able to build the film around Mads, his performance and those kinds of moments.

LBB> What does this campaign represent in terms of &FRIENDS’ broader creative vision or philosophy?

Harvey & Lucie> It’s creative built from the inside out, and I think that’s really important. But agile production allows that – getting the most out of the time, putting every bit of that budget on screen and then allowing space for craft. We work lean, fast, and with the best specialist talent out there. It’s never one-size-fits-all, but teams with the right cultural instincts and ambition change everything, and that’s how it should be. More than anything, it’s the collaboration that makes this a benchmark for us – feeling like one team with your client and agency. That’s how we want to work, always.