Bailey Smith and Charlie Curnow parody iconic ‘Five Cougars, Thanks’ ad in new Barry TVC

AFL stars Bailey Smith and Charlie Curnow have swapped the Sherrin for an acting stint in a new TVC to launch the new Cherry Vanilla Cola from Barry – a low-carb alcoholic beverage brand they co-founded with Collingwood stars, Nick and Josh Daicos.

 

Coinciding with the AFL finals, the ad is a playful parody of the infamous (and at the time controversial) ‘Five Cougars, Thanks’ campaign for Cougar Bourbon which first aired in September 2001, created by Mick Hunter and Ian Morton via The Campaign Palace, Sydney. This time round, it’s been contemporised with a female lead, and it’s Smith who plays the ‘himbo’ bartender whose physical appearance and flowing blonde locks beguile the customer into a snap rethink of their drink order.

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’s brand and ‘loyals’ who don’t take life too seriously: “The campaign encapsulates what the Barry brand is all about – being fun, in the moment and a bit provocative – and it connects with our target audience through humour and cultural nostalgia.

“We’ve been rapt with the reception we’ve 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.”

Curnow, whose cameo in the ad reprises the role of the confused patron in the circa 2001 campaign who’s been bamboozled by the bartender’s looks, trying to remember his group’s drink order (“Two gin and tonics, two vodkas and a Scotch”), said he isn’t expecting calls from Hollywood off the back of his performance: “The ad shoot was great fun, and Barry is definitely a passion project and creative outlet for us, but underpinning the brand’s light-hearted ‘persona’ there’s a very sound business and marketing strategy – which is necessary to have cut-through in such a competitive retail sector.

“We’re really excited about Barry’s 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.

“Across all Barry products, we’ve stayed true to our focus on creating interesting drinks that are low-sugar, low-calorie, low-carb and big on flavour.”

Barry Cherry Vanilla Cola (330mL) is available in cartons of 16, four-packs or single cans. It is 5% alcohol per can (or 1.3 standard drinks) and is low in sugar, carbs and calories.

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
PR: Soda Communications