Bell’s praised for heartwarming South African commercial

A new whisky commercial for blended Scotch brand Bell’s is being praised as one of the most heartwarming commercials in recent memory.

The South African television commercial, entitled The Reader, follows the journey of an elderly gentleman in his ambition to learn to read.

Throughout the two-minute commercial, viewers watch the lead character attend reading classes, spell messages of devotion to his wife using fridge magnets, and play scrabble with his friends.

Ultimately, viewers realise his motivation is to read the book his son has written. As he gives his son the news he has, at last, read his book, his elated son exclaims “Give that man a Bell’s”.

“The slogan ‘Give that man a Bell’s’ is a phrase that has become synonymous with acknowledging exceptional achievement, especially when people go to great lengths to do something for someone else,” said Thandeka Ngqumeya, Bell’s Whisky brand manager.

The commercial, which was aired in South Africa on 2 February, has received a warm reception from fans.

“I rarely share commercials, but when I do it’s because good ones are so rare,” said a comment from Timothy Kestrel on YouTube. “This one is worth watching. Beware, it’s a tearjerker!”

Devin Kennedy, ECD at King James that created the commercial, said the intention was to create a storyline that would engage and inspire South Africans “across the board”.

“The commercial celebrates universal themes such as friendship, family and community and the extra special things we do for each other,” he said.

Some have even gone so far as to say the Bell’s commercial was better than those shown at the Super Bowl on the same day. Judge for yourself by watching the video below.