Castle breaks the beer mould

This week saw the launch of the new TV campaign for Castle Lager, co-incidentally coinciding with Proudly South African week.

But, as promised, this spot is nothing like the Castle commercials of old. Gone are the back-slapping, beer-drinking, braai-ing, hand-on-heart South Africans, neatly racially mixed to display some politically-correct demographic. Gone too is the signature song, and with it that schmaltzy, patriotic feeling that’s become so much a part of Castle’s advertising over the years.

Enter one man, nine countries, 163 scenes and 300 words – all in 75 seconds. You can’t help but be drawn in. And when you’ve seen it once, you’ll want to see it again.

The reason is simple: it breaks the mould of beer advertising.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy Johannesburg and produced by Kim Geldenhuys of Egg Films, it centres around one man’s travels around the globe, and culminates in his return to South Africa as he realises, “I’m hot, I’m thirsty. I’m a South African and only one thing can satisfy my thirst.”

By: Kim Penstone

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