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<\/p>\nTwo of the AFL\u2019s most popular players, Bailey Smith and Charlie Curnow, have swapped the Sherrin for an acting stint on a TV advertisement to launch the new Cherry Vanilla Cola from Barry \u2013 a low-carb alcoholic beverage brand they co-founded with Collingwood stars, Nick and Josh Daicos.<\/p>\n
Coinciding with the AFL finals, the ad is a playful parody of the infamous (and at the time controversial) \u2018Five Cougars, Thanks\u2019 campaign for Cougar Bourbon which first aired in September 2001. This time round, it\u2019s been contemporised with a female lead, and it\u2019s Smith who plays the \u2018himbo\u2019 bartender whose physical appearance and flowing blonde locks beguile the customer into a snap rethink of their drink order.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Smith, who was just a year old, while Curnow was aged four, when the Cougar campaign caused a storm in the early millennium, said he was happy to poke fun at himself and felt the throwback ad concept was fitting for Barry\u2019s brand and \u2018loyals\u2019 who don\u2019t take life too seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe campaign encapsulates what the Barry brand is all about \u2013 being fun, in the moment and a bit provocative \u2013 and it connects with our target audience through humour and cultural nostalgia,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been rapt with the reception we\u2019ve had to Barry since launching exactly two years ago, to now be one of the fastest-growing brands in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curnow, whose cameo in the ad reprises the role of the confused patron in the circa 2001 campaign who\u2019s been bamboozled by the bartender\u2019s looks, trying to remember his group\u2019s drink order (\u201cTwo gin and tonics, two vodkas and a Scotch\u201d), said he isn\u2019t expecting calls from Hollywood off the back of his performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ad shoot was great fun, and Barry is definitely a passion project and creative outlet for us, but underpinning the brand\u2019s light-hearted \u2018persona\u2019 there\u2019s a very sound business and marketing strategy \u2013 which is necessary to have cut-through in such a competitive retail sector,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about Barry\u2019s debut in the dark spirit RTD space with the whisky-based Cherry Vanilla Cola which will sit alongside our ranges of vodka- and agave-based sodas with punchy fruit flavours.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross all Barry products, we\u2019ve stayed true to our focus on creating interesting drinks that are low-sugar, low-calorie, low-carb and big on flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Credits
Director\/Producer: Charles Buxton-Leslie
Production Company: Cool Studio
DOP: Jordan Ruyi Blanch
1st AC: Shawkat
Gaffer: Corey Clements
LX Assist: Riley Lewis
LX Assist: Lachie Graham
Production Designer: Brianna Da Silva
Colourist: Nick Lindell-Wright
Lead Cast: Xanthe Blaise
Special Thanks: The Corner Hotel<\/p>\n
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