High Five: Truly Spirited Ads
I’ve accidently ended up spending a lot of my time immersed in drinks (not literally). I love a good beer. Pilsner Urquell is my fav, but only when it’s served right...but that’s another story. I’m also a big fan of spirits, and have been lucky enough to work with some of the greats: Grant’s, Glenfiddich, Courvoisier, Hendrick’s, and more recently, Bushmills (an amazing Irish whiskey that invented single malt, who knew!?) But back to advertising. It’s an almost impossible task to list out my top five spirit ads as my choices literally change day to day, depending on where my head’s at. And what makes a good spirit ad anyway? There’s obviously not one silver bullet solution, but I think viewers just want to watch the next part of their box set, so whatever you create has got to make a real emotional connection in some way. Whether drama, heart, humour or intrigue, if it cuts through and delivers a key take out and brand USP to the viewer, it’s done its job. Here are my current top five, in no particular order...
Johnnie Walker - 'The Man Who Walked around the World'
Agency: BBH London
Production: Partizan London
Director: Anthony Wonke
Is it an ad or short film? Whatever it is, it’s on my list. A cinematic masterpiece that seamlessly blends storytelling, history and brand proposition. Love the purity of the single continuous shot (one of the first to do this commercially - imagine how many takes there must have been!). I’m a big fan of simplicity while delivering your message in an engaging way. More than just a promotional ad, it's a celebration of resilience, progress and the human spirit - making it truly memorable. And it stars Robert Carlyle. What’s not to like!?
Cinzano - 'Airline'
Agency: CDP (Collett Dickenson Pearce)
I’m showing my age here! I was a kid when these came out, but the Cinzano commercials in the late 1970s & '80s have a special place in my heart. They featured Leonard Rossiter (from UK comedy sitcom 'Rising Damp') and actress Joan Collins (world-famous at the time for her role as Alexis in US soap 'Dynasty'). It’s dated and of its time, but still hilarious. The slapstick script was the perfect foil for the more ‘sensationalised' competitor commercials aimed at a younger generation. Apparently, the ads became so popular there were rumours of a feature film! Unfortunately, so the story goes, sales of rival Martini soared as viewers confused the two brands! I didn’t say it was commercially successful...
Smirnoff - 'The Sea'
Agency: JWT London
I think this is the perfect example of a creative idea delivering a simple brand message in an engaging and memorable way. It takes a while to figure out what’s going on while the epic dramatic soundtrack draws you in. Then the ‘eureka’ moment. Consumer take out ‘Extraordinary purification. Clearly Smirnoff’. What else do you need to say? Awesome.
Sipsmith Gin - 'We Make Gin Not Compromises'
Agency: Ogilvy London
Production: Biscuit Filmworks UK
Director: Jeff Low
Whether you like the humour or not, I think this is a great example of using a brand’s distinctive brand asset to deliver simple messages in an engaging way. There’s a lot of information delivered in a short amount of time, but it still manages to get across its ‘no compromise’ message well. It manages to stand out from other gins in a pretty saturated sector by upping its brand personality with a perfectly delivered sarcastic voiceover from Julian Barratt (of 'The Mighty Boosh' fame). A lot of brands bring their icon to life but not many take the micky out of it too!
The Kraken - 'The Origin'
Agency: Purple Creative
Director: Rudolf Peter Kis
Production: Fight Gravity Films
Production Service: Umbrella Collective
Post: Polycat
Disclaimer: this is one of mine! The Kraken Black Spiced Rum brand has got so much going for it. What other brand can boast a sea monster of unfathomable size as its DBA? This is the origin story told in 30 seconds. No mean feat when we had to flesh out characters, create emotion, build tension, show the power of a Kraken attack and interweave it all with subtle flavour credentials. Phew! We opted for as much in-camera action as possible to deliver an authentic cinematic feel, complemented by CGI over the real-life action. To quote director Rudolf Peter Kiss, “The danger was real!”.
