Aviation American Gin 'The Process' (with Ryan Reynolds)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/NjDCH6SiMgo
About: seemingly, the star of the ad Ryan Reynolds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Reynolds is one of the owners of the product (as he mentions in his commentary + as per the transcript https://www.manifestowriting.com/database/aviation-gin-the-process/ here). While the ad makes use of 'celebrity branding' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_branding it does so quite playfully, through Reynolds' explicit mention/identification as a Canadian (where it seems to be implied that the ad's audience are American?). This reference is further underlined through mention of the well-known Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_McLachlan The ad's playfulness also extends to its casting/styling of actors who all appear to be Hipsters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture) Simon: as a way of defining/interpreting the discrete features of this ad, I would review some others - both gin ads http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#GYNu_aAirFI and ads for premium spirts e.g. https://greatdrams.com/25-amazing-whisky-adverts/ Messaging: the ad seeks to project ideas about 'authenticity' while simultaneously including intertextual references, which logically run counter to this. The cliché of the diligent/over-earnestness connoisseur (common to whiskey and premium wine products) for example - whose allusions commonly reference ideas of quality - also risk being interpreted as being overly 'elitist'. And so presumably, the tone of the messaging and Reynolds' playful mocking https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/mocking.html is intended to appeal to a prospective consumer who might be less appreciative of such connotations - perhaps, one who is younger - that is similarly mocking of such assumed pretension (pretentious/pompous/affectedness); that he is 'tipping his hat' to (acknowledging) an 'alternative subculture' https://www.imdb.com/list/ls569347663/ In this sense, the ad seeks to engender a sense of 'identification' with the brand - one, where its prospective consumers might feel a sense of 'belonging' - that 'the brand is them' (that it embodies aspects of their identity). This is a strategy commonly used in premium brands for example, think of how Rolex seeks something similar (although using a different messaging approach) http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#BdFxWVezwEY as well as Rolls-Royce http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#B0sEaEeFhWU and Prada http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#s690J4fk_Tk etc. where in the case of such brands - it is the desire to incorporate ideas of 'superiority' into your identity. Whereas in the case of the Aviation American Gin (AAG) ad - it is sense of belonging, which prospective consumers might have, through their process of recognising Reynolds' 'in jokes' - symbolically, aligning themselves to Reynolds' public persona and the gin, which he's promoting. And so, it is the 'sign-value' (as Jean Baudrillard might describe it), that AAG are seeking to engender through the ad's messaging. Or put more plainly, if the ad isn't about sign-value then what is its 'use-value' i.e. what 'problem' does the gin solve as communicated through the ad's messaging? Compare its messaging to this http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#pNvswtRdmX4 and http://newpractices.co.uk/messaging/#QiphfV7YsYo whose value is a consequence of their utility.
