Special limited-edition Campari bottle with label designed by Brazilian neo-pop artist Romero Britto
This Campari spot (one of three from Euro RSCG) hails all the way from Italy, so it still hasn’t particularly grabbed the attention of many state-side.
Campari’s an interesting brand - one with a rich history and a great product in need of an injection of “cool” (in a weird way, their situation is almost reminiscent of Old Spice’s conundrum, which was, of course, recently solved by their Man Your Man Could Smell Like series of ads and social media releases). I feel like my Grandmother drank Campari - yet with the classic cocktail revival showing no signs of slowing down, the brand is finally taking this opportunity to re-claim their heritage and emphasize the importance of their product in famous drinks. A little-known fact is that in the original James Bond novel, Casino Royale, the suave British spy actually orders an Americano as his first drink.
Whether you loathe or love the hip, young people enjoying Campari in this tableau (AdFreak was particularly harsh in their review of the spot… maybe it’s because I’m from Manhattan, but I find the hipsters charming) - it’s undeniably intriguing. Amid a world of fast-paced, sexed-up and explosion-laden advertising, Campari has managed to slow things down by elegantly, if not oddly, displaying classic brand recipes in an aesthetically-pleasing way. The spot is pretty, ethereal and relaxing - quenching the consumer of their thirst for an advertisement that doesn’t unceremoniously shove a message down their throats.
Both the soundtrack and cinematography are reminiscent of Phillips’ now-famous “Carousel” spot (deemed the number 2 Most Epic Ad That Isn’t Apple’s 1984 by Adfreak - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3D4CqHbJM), yet the subject-matter is so different that I doubt it served as much of a model and, if it figured into Euro RSCG’s creative process at all, it was probably nothing more than an inspiration.
The Americano cocktail featured in the spot consists of Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda. This concoction’s name comes from the unusually large amount of Americans who ordered it at Campari’s original bar in Italy in the late 1800s - so if you like the ad, why not try and mix the drink?
Imbibe Responsibly.
