Tagged : Authenticity

It’s rare that I am impressed by an alcohol advertising campaign. Most of them just don’t resonate with me, and often there are one or two originals in a bunch of half-ass copies.

For instance, I’ve seen many commercials from all categories lately trying to mimick the success of the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World campaign, which in itself is fantastic, but as a copy, is easily recognizable as a fraud. Dos Equis nailed the tongue in cheek style in an authentic way whereas most other kicks at the can by other brands have failed. Their combination of timing and execution have gone unmatched in ads since.

The other genre of prevalent booze advertisement is the “Woohoo look at me I’m having so much fun commercial.” For whatever reason these never make me want to buy the product. It just seems phony. Nobody can really be having that much fun. This type of ad is everywhere, and just plain generic. It doesn’t matter if it’s a summer cabin party, a night out at a swanky bar, or a disco dance party at a hot nightclub — I just don’t want to be there because, honestly, it looks like everybody else does. I want to be original.

Recently though, there have been some very intelligent efforts from the world of spirits. A few come to mind, but one in particular really rocked my boat — no pun intended.

Grey Goose’s most recent addition to the Discerning Taste campaign leaves me salivating, ready to quit my job, hit the high seas, and most importantly — drink Grey Goose. It has been a long time since I’ve seen an ad that made me say “I want that!”

To me as a consumer this ad is a success — even more so than the other Discerning Taste ads which don’t seem as interesting or engaging to me, but I will get to that later.

There are several reasons why this one in particular works.

1. It’s visceral. Watch the commercial and tell me you don’t feel like you’re there on the ocean eating oysters. Everything about the commercial creates a heightened state of awareness. The sounds are pronounced and the visuals are romantic, but borderline erotic. Everything just works. The sound of the ship’s ropes tightening, the knife in the oyster shell, the wind, the waves, the bottle of Grey Goose sliding into the ice bucket, and finally the clink of the cool little shot glasses sweating from the cold vodka. It’s all just refreshing. You can almost feel it through the TV.
2. It’s aspirational. The situation itself is something most of us can imagine, but few of us have ever experienced. It’s something out of a harlequin love fantasy. Most of us will see that commercial after spending a day grunting out some work at the office. What better escape than a classy vodka and oyster fuelled adventure on the Mediterranean Sea.
3. It’s a discovery. Whether the viewer is an enthusiast Grey Goose drinker or discovering Grey Goose for the first time, this commercial makes the viewer feel like they’ve discovered it. The tagline at the end is simple: “Grey Goose — World’s Best Tasting Vodka.” Throughout the rest of the commercial there is very little branding. The Grey Goose is actually understated.

The other commercials in the Grey Goose Discerning Taste campaign such as golf, or jazz, tell you how you are supposed to feel. They explain the situation and tell you the viewer why you should be there and how you should feel about it. I’m not a fan of that approach, and none of the other Discerning Taste ads grab me the way that Oysters does.

This commercial simply puts you in a place that you might drink Grey Goose and lets you feel however you may about it. It also works because the audience they are speaking to is sophisticated enough to understand the message without an explanation. I think it’s a winner. Get me a glass of Grey Goose.