Fucking great. If you don't identify with this you are simply not the target audience / customer. Just fucking great.

f'ling love it ... the Dude's the dude.

I think it is pure genius, and I think it will drive cases and bar calls alike. On a branding level, they have perfectly tapped a consumer insight precious to the 20-something male – the high praise bestowed upon friends, acquaintances, or noteworthy strangers: “He just doesn’t *give* a F*%&!”. The character is perfect 70′s style cheese and inarguably masculine (nails the cocoa-buttered beach images of my youth in L.A.). And LOVE the Hyman Roth/Lee Strasburg lookalike cameo in the sand!

It reminds me of The Most Interesting Man in the World (Dos Equis) and Damn Right Your Dad Drank It (Canadian Club) with a little Instagram-film style.

In addition to branding, some serious conversion work is going on here too. It’s a hot beach scene, so they are establishing summer refreshment & driving occasionality. It’s a lowball rocks serve, offering masculinity and full whiskey cred to a liqueur. And, there is something about the music and walking the beach with proper glassware that gets me to both on- and off-premise.

Proof that awesomeness can sell cases.

Awesome wardrobe, awesome ad!!!

I wonder if we'll get a quote from someone other than the person or people who worked on the campaign...

Well played, Nick Kaplan. Well played.

We should totally have an award show that awards stuff on their "I wish I had done that" factor.

Love this commercial!! Where is this beach?

I have never drunk Southern Comfort but gotta get some TODAY because I regularly fly my freak flag, just like The Dude has in his glass!

Love this one. He is so sexy.

Fabulous. Very sexy.

Great ad but I have some criticisms.

1.)Everybody and their brother gets mentioned in the credits........ except for the main actor! WTF? Anyone know who he is?

2.)there is a major continuity error at ~1:02 mark.

I don't drink at all, and I never go to bars,etc..but I love this commercial. I don't know why..just do!

This ad is quite possibly the most disgusting ad I have ever seen. To see a company go this low is sad.

All those "positive" comments are fake.

If there is a market that likes this, keep those kind of people away from my family.

Just terrible.

Yes, you are getting exposure but compare it to a quality company.

I love this guy...love the commercial and who ever doesn't get it is pretty damned stupid. It is hilarious and real! Comments are real too.

I am not in advertising, and I don't drink much. But as a man of a certain age, the ad seems brilliant! Caught my attention, without a doubt!

Reminiscent of a scene from a bad ass Taratino flick.
I've never seen a commercial that says so much, with so little and one in which the viewer can project so much onto the character. The fact is we all know this guy, and we sometimes envy him. He lives an unencumbered lifestyle, drives a '67 Buick Rivera, and still listens to a reel to reel tape player in his apartment. He's get's along with all three ex-wives and he's perfectly fine eating dinner and going to a movie alone. Every Sunday he actually visits his sainted mother, who just adores Brandi, his long-term on again/off again girlfriend. He ocassionally plays the horses and get's together with guys from the precinct for some Texas Hold'em. Would love to see this made into a movie!

Also loved the strutting shoulder salute to the ladies.

Bet he drives a '73 Buick Riviera!

Wildfire viral from 2011 by the way.

Oh and heee's back, he has reached the patio!

This guy is so sexy, about time real men took over!.

this guy just looks like a fucking fat prick

Just wondering how many the ad team had in them prior to hitting on this.....thinking not from this planet!......genius

Any idea who the actor is? People saying it's Mike from the Cuban Brothers but I'm pretty sure it's not...

No it isn't, that guy is too young.

This thread is still going. Yowza.

This is simply THE BEST commercial I've ever seen.

Yo Karmapolice, as a lady (and as one that can see both your IP and email and found your Linkedinprofile, girlfriend), I ask you to please fucking refrain from calling people bitches on this site, vowels or not. Disagree all you want, but since you are disagreeing with AnonymousCoward #19, direct your comment at that person, and elevate the discourse to at least to the level one-step above pub-brawl in Shoreditch. When you disagree with a co-worker, I'm sure you don't immediately retort to calling them a hick minority. It's not just low class, it's lazy.

@#24 "Strutting shoulder salute to the ladies" yeah man. The dude is the dude. And his three ex wives are all bubbly ladies.

@Karmapolice What crawled up your ass?

You with the three wives theories, does he have any kids and more importantly can they strut?

Awesome blog and really an informative. Thanks for sharing a lovely blog

Why thanks. It was also an informative spam link, at the end of your comment, but we had to delete that.

Good ad but I am a beer man myself

As a 30something male I feel that I'm probably part of the target audience, but all I see is "if you want to be an obese and slightly slimy old man drink Southern Comfort". Not really that enticing.

it's only enticing if you like irony with your drink.

I wish I was this man,
and I'm now proud of my beer belly

Classic ad, beautifully shot and directed
Really repositioned Southern Comfort for me away from sticky Americana to independent-minded anysomething male.
Maybe it doesn't appeal to many twenty somethings, but there are millions for whom this is on the nail.
I can see women appreciating the irony and beauty of it too, just in a different way.
Good and brave call Mr/Ms brand manager.

I don't work in advertising, but I liked this ad so much that I wanted to find out more about it and Google brought me here.

Southern Comfort used to be a drink that lad-ettes mixed with lemonade. Now apparently it's for me. This ad brought joy to my day, and in return I shall be buying a bottle at the earliest opportunity.

I've no idea what it tastes like. If I like it I'll probably buy more; if not I won't. Great ad!

Excellent ad..On so many levels.... Not everyone's cup of tea...but nothing ever is..! IMO If you take offence in it I think you are probably missing the point and taking it too seriously.

This Man...so proud and comfy in his 'paddling shoes, pot belly, big knickers and 70's throwback hair'..! Love him or loathe him He and Southern Comfort has brought us ALL HERE..!
I am here because I wanted to know the name of the Dude...I've already downloaded the song...I love Soul music..Otis Redding Etta James etc..
This is a bit of tongue-in-cheek, funky fun.. I love it... And I haven't had a Southern Comfort for years but I might just have one over Christmas and bring back some fond fun memories..... I used to go out drinking Southern Comfort ...not because it was cool...(was it..?) but because it was sweet and I have a sweet tooth..! Drinking beer/lager makes some (ahem) women bilious and prone to excess visits to the bathroom...! It did get a bit sickly after a couple though...which is good because I'd alternate and just order a diet cola. So I CAN remember so many funny nights out in my early to mid twenties..without getting sick or finding strange numbers in my pocket in the morning (drama student..so no mobile..giving my age away..!)
So pat the person or person's on the back who came up with the simple idea..the probably 'statistically average' guy who isn't ashamed to strut on the beach even though he isn't a natural Adonis ...just because the fashion Media/society said he should be..!
Hurrah still Nameless Dude....each to his own..and you OWN that beach..holding up a glass and toast..Cheers to you..!
(I'd love to have a shot in advertising now..#inspired..!)

Hi, my friend Pete was so inspired by this advert that he made us film him recreating it on a freezing cold football pitch in the North of England in December:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LfE751K0Kg

I hope you enjoy his efforts... All in the name of a good cause (and a bottle of Southern Comfort so he could warm up afterwards), the local Children's Hospital:

http://www.justgiving.com/wildmanbudgiewalk

Nice to see someone taking a silly ad and doing good with it. Cheers, mate. Hope you raise a lot of dough for the kids.

@froggo who are you directing that comment to?

.....Apologies for not being clearer in the direction of my comment which Is directed towards the negative comments left by Anonymous Coward on 13 September 2.53.

Kind Regards

Froggo.

The actor is Mel Shampain: http://www.facebook.com/mel.shampain

Southern comfort beach man is completely hot. I totally would. He looks great and if I hadn't have got utterly wankered on southern comfort 14 yrs ago I would be well up for some right about now

Just picked up a bottle in my local co-op. I had thought it was a bourbon, but turns out it's a 35% liqueur.

Liqueur? At the beach? There's "I don't give a fuck" and there's "I have no taste". Oh dear...

: - (

The man is wearing leather shoes at the beach and teeny speedo-shorts. You were warned about the "no taste" thing.

This ad is a rubbish. 'Very creative' but most probably will appeal to maybe 5 or 10 people and bring another disappointing decline in sales and share for the brand. It is just disgusting to watch it.

The actor is not Mel Shampain .. compare the noses and the space between upper lip and nose ... Answer - it's not Mel Shampain

The actor in this ad' gives an ora of, and looks like a Greek Cypriot God - Come and get me any time !! He's cool and i'd like to hear about all his stories in life.

I'd really be interested to know who this actor is too - anyone brave enough to ask the Agency ?

Most Fabulous and original ad', and I don't impress easily. Also while we're at it - can someone tell us who came up with the idea / concept ??

B.r.b.... going to buy me a bottle :-)

mel shampain is not his facebook photo...an inside joke of some sort for W K