Once upon a time a time Martini ads were everywhere. ‘The Right One’ was one of the biggest brands on TV and cinema.
In the UK at least you could have forgotten it existed but now the Bacardi-owned vermouth and fizzy wine brand is back with a vengeance, launching a new global campaign by AMV BBDO, ‘Play With Time.’ It features “the richest man in the world” who chucks away the Ferrari and the model girlfriend to spend time not money. The director is Jake Nava, known for music vids as well as commercials.
The campaign launches in Italy and then rolls out globally with outdoor and digital too. Martini is also sprucing up its bottles, bringing back some old designs and motor racing-style stripes. It’s a relaunch in essence.
Martini global vice-president John Burke says: “We felt Jake was the best person to help bring a fresh, new look to Martini that would connect with our target millennial. The past ten months have seen dramatic steps taken by the brand team as we reinvigorate one of the world’s most iconic Italian brands. Things that would have taken 18 months to push through, we’ve done in half the time due to Jake’s ability to grasp the essence of the brand so quickly and deeply. To support the new campaign, we have committed to doubling our media spend. This confirms the confidence the company has in the growth potential of Martini.”
I’m sure we’ve seen the “richest man in the world” a few times before. Didn’t Heineken have one? And Dos Equis beer had “the most interesting man in the world” of course.
But Nava and his agency chums have done a good job here – a big, bold old-style global ad campaign.
MAA creative scale: 8.
Sounds like they “homaged” the voice of “The Most Interesting Man in the world.” Maybe he didn’t go off into space after all.