The Man Is Too Cool
Slate had a review of the Dos Equis commercials with 'the most interesting man in the world.' .... http://www.slate.com/id/2218849/ I don't know why they review advertising campaigns, they just do. I hate commercials. It's the primary reason I watch very little network television. That, and the fact most regular TV bores me to death. As much as I love sports, the constant TV time-outs to bombard us with ads is maddening.
Occasionally, an original idea for a commercial will make me laugh, or at least acknowledge the creativity. The most interesting man in the world is one of those campaigns. I think the character is great. He's James Bond-ish, handsome, cool, and sophisticated. He's the exact opposite of 90% of beer drinkers.....including me.
The ads are campy and clever. Even the narrator is cool. The writing is quirky with bizarre claims to fame for the main character.
"The police often question him just because they find him interesting."....."His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man's entire body."....."His blood smells like cologne."....."He once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels."....."He lives vicariously through himself."
The protagonist is always engaged in some daring feat, adventure, or surrounded by beautiful women. There's no mistaking his masculinity. His charming, confident, and charismatic. The author of the article was on-the-money with this observation........
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the most interesting man, in marketing terms, is his ambivalence toward the advertised product. "I don't always drink beer," he says. "But when I do," he adds, almost offhandedly, "I prefer Dos Equis."
This is why I like the ads. The most interesting man in the world doesn't get excited about his beer like a character in an average commercial does. He's blasé about the product. This attutude fits the character.
In one ad he says, "It's never too late to beef up your obituary."
Hopefully, Dos Equis won't over-do this campiagn. I remember how funny the Geico cavemen were when they first came out. Then they tried making a TV show. The same for the gecko. They overused these clever characters, now they're old.
Stay thirsty my friends.