The 10 most popular spirits commercials

From the imaginative to the action-packed, sentimental to the downright hilarious, here’s our pick of the 10 most popular spirits commercials to be released in the past year.

These are the 10 most popular spirits commercials to launch in recent months

The spirits industry has always had an eye for creative advertising, veering away from the old “sex sells” ethos under hardened advertising measures in recent years.

While many producers will enlist a celebrity face to front their multi-million campaigns in a bid to boost global appeal, others turn to more educational, quirky or emotional tactics.

Advertisements are crucial for brands to strategically target their desired consumer base, extend into untapped markets or redefine their image.

This list includes some of the most warmly received commercials to launch in recent months, as well as the odd controversial ad and some of our personal favourites here at SB.

Click through the following pages to see our pick of the 10 most popular spirits commercials.

Have we missed your favourite? Let us know by leaving a comment below. 

Jim Beam Bourbon

Beam Inc enlisted Mila Kunis to front its new Make History global marketing campaign, which sees the Hollywood actress star in a commercial inspired by US history.

The advertisement features Kunis, star of Family Guy and Friends with Benefits, in various historical scenarios including Prohibition and the swinging 60s, concluding with the question – “This is how Jim Beam makes history, how will you make yours?”

Kevin George, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Beam Inc, said that this partnership signified a “truly new era for the brand”. “Mila’s love of Bourbon, her appreciation for the authenticity of our brand, her warm personality and her global relevance to our Make History campaign make her the perfect partner,” he said.

The commercial aired in the UK on 17 March 2014 and will roll out across global markets over the next few months.

Slovenia Vodka

Perhaps not a prolific advertisement, but a personal favourite here at The Spirits Business, this commercial for Slovenia Vodka stars US comedian Bill Murray and Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Both became investors in the brand, which Murray described as having the power to “make you kind of sweet”.

They gained a stake in the brand early last year and have become ardent ambassadors since, helping the vodka enter the mainstream through a series of promotions and advertisements which carry the tagline “no words necessary”.

Murray told Esquire magazine: “There’s something about the taste of this vodka that takes the bad taste our of your mouth. I have a quieter voice when I drink it. I drink gin, and once, when drinking gin, I made a large man cry. Not with this [Slovenia Vodka]. This makes you kind of sweet.”

Tequila 1800

Launched in October last year, Proximo Spirits recruited Goodfellas star Ray Liotta enhance the masculine image of its Tequila 1800 brand through a series of international commercials.

Carrying the tagline “enough said”, Them Boots was the first of the series and features Liotta staring disapprovingly at two other men drinking cocktails, prompting them to also order straight 1800 Tequila on the rocks.

Greg Smith, chief creative officer for VIA, the agency behind the commercial, told AdWeek that the brand’s positioning was “not all about velvet ropes and artisanal bottles. It’s about what Tequila used to be, which is mystery and toughness – a guy’s guy’s drink.”

Dewar’s Highlander Honey

This advertisement for Dewar’s Highlander Honey starring English actress Claire Forlani really caused a stir when it launched in June last year, with many viewers criticising Forlani’s “poor” Scottish accent.

In the commercial, the Meet Joe Black actress allows a bee to sting her finger before stirring her glass of Highlander Honey with it, declaring “You should be asking yourself: what is sweetness without a little bite,” in an attempt at a Scottish accent. She then turns over her shoulder and warns “Be careful Angus” to an off-screen presence before throwing her head back and laughing.

Forlani’s character is described by ad agency Opperman Weiss as a “siren with the presence of a queen and the mouth of a gangster”.

However, viewers of the commercial, which is only airing in the US, have been quick to criticise her accent as “painful”.

Baileys

Baileys kicked off the Christmas period of 2013 in style with its playful take on The Nutcracker ballet for its festive advertisement.

A contemporary twist on the Tchaikovsky ballet which has been choreographed by acclaimed dancer Benjamin Millepied, the commercial features members of the Royal Ballet Company.

It shows Salenko dance flirtatiously with the ‘Nutcracker Prince’, played by McRae, however, their romance is thwarted by the ‘Mouse King’, played by Soares.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) received two complaints claiming that the advertisement displayed “violent and aggressive behaviour”, which were not upheld.

Jose Cuervo

Proximo Spirits hired Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland to front in its fist TV spot since the distribution group took over from Diageo.

New Jersey-based Proximo was appointed distributor of Jose Cuervo in North America after a long-running contract with Diageo surprisingly came to an end in July.

The ad, created by New York-based agency McCann, charts Sutherland’s movements through various scenarios in an anonymous city while he shares amusing anecdotes – which the brand hopes will demonstrate that ‘great stories begin and end with Jose Cuervo’.

Bell’s

Bell’s latest commercial was widely lauded as one of the most heart-warming advertisements to launch in years when it hit South African TV screens in February 2014, bring tears to the eyes of viewers across the country.

The Ad, entitled The Reader, follows the journey of an elderly gentleman in his ambition to learn to read. Viewers watch the lead character attend reading classes, spell messages of devotion to his wife using fridge magnets, and play scrabble with his friends, finding that this is all to enable him to read a new book written by his son.

Devin Kennedy, ECD at King James, the agency which created the commercial, said: “The commercial celebrates universal themes such as friendship, family and community and the extra special things we do for each other.”

Chivas Regal

Revered British actor Charles Dance, star of Game of Thrones, was enlisted to play the part of a charismatic barman in Chivas Regal’s long-running Live with Chivalry campaign.

Richard Black, global brand director for Chivas Regal, said:“Since its 2008 launch, the Live with Chivalry campaign has been incredibly effective in helping Chivas to connect with modern gentlemen around the world. We believe that this latest instalment gives a deeper meaning to what it takes to Live with Chivalry, demonstrating that modern gentlemen show their generosity of spirit.”

In the ad, Dance imparts enduring gentlemanly values enduring values of “generosity and integrity” onto his patrons.

The commercial was shot by Danish director Adam Hashemi, whose debut film starring Cameron Diaz and Benecio del Toro premiers in 2014.

Southern Comfort

Following the success of hilarious commercials Beach, Shampoo and Karate, in Southern Comfort’s Whatever’s Comfortable campaign, is Dance – featuring a man dancing like the entire internet isn’t watching.

To find the star of the commercial, Brown-Forman-owned Southern Comfort held auditions for those who “danced to the beat of their own drum”.

The song featured is Estrelar by Marcos Valle.

Grey Goose

Part of Grey Goose vodka’s “most powerful marketing effort to date”, the brand’s latest commercial tells the story of its founder Francois Thibault and communicates the provenance of the vodka.

Bacardi said that the campaign appeals to “sophisticated consumers” who “care deeply about where their products some from”, adding that these customers “value quality, style, authenticity and craftsmanship, and they want to know the story of their favourite brands”.

Grey Goose’s Fly Beyond campaign and commercial first launched in the US in October last year before rolling out globally.