Bacardi targets Friends finale for new ad
The Publican has had an exclusive first look at the new Bacardi advert, which hits UK screens at the end of next week.
The advert will be shown next Friday night, on one of the most watched TV nights of the year, with the last ever episode of Friends and the first episode of this year's Big Brother both airing that night. An estimated 5.8 million viewers will be tuned in at that time.
The advert is a continuation of the rum brand's "Welcome to the Latin Quarter" series, but with a new star. Following the end of Vinnie Jones's contract last year, Bacardi appointed Latino actor Raoul Bova (pictured) to be the new face of the TV campaign, a story broken on thePublican.com last month.
John Burke, marketing controller for Bacardi, said: "The brand has responded really well to this advertising campaign. We have seen our best set of sales for 11 years and for the first time Bacardi advert recognition has overtaken that of Smirnoff.
"We felt that there were some things that Raoul could bring to the advert - we also felt it was important to have a slight change of direction.
"We could have replaced Vinnie with a character exactly like him but we wanted to tell the story in a slightly different way. There was a need to move things on."
In the new advert, a train porter is filling up his trolley with Bacardi on a dark and deserted platform when the last train of the night pulls out and leaves.
He runs down the platform with the trolley, trying in vain to catch the train. Then out of the shadows appears Raoul Bova, in the role of the mysterious stranger, asking the porter if he has missed the last train or not.
In true Bacardi fashion the two men, stuck in the middle of nowhere, with only the bottles of Bacardi for company, are joined for a party by a busload of Latino ladies. Drinking, dancing, bottle throwing and, of course, flirting ensues.
Related articles:
Bacardi picks Latino actor to front ads (21 April 2004)
