Seven of the best recent TV drinks adverts

We’ve rounded up seven of the best recent television drinks adverts that have added extra colour to life under lockdown.

It’s official: pubs and restaurants have reopened for outdoor service in England. It’s one thing to crack open a beer in front of the TV, but it’s another to sip away in a pub garden with friends.

Over the past months drink brands have done a good job at keeping our excitement ticking over by releasing optimistic adverts. Some are heartening, some are transportive, all are creative. Here is our round-up of the best recent drink adverts.

Laithwaite’s, October 2020

Dorky, silly, lovely, Laithwaites’s ‘Get that wine cellar feeling’ advert was the perfect late autumn clip. With the elevator jazz, the comforting family dynamics, and at a time when we so wished we could also be eye-rolling at a goofy friend or family member, this advert hit home. Laithwaite’s wine crate looks cosy tucked behind the sofa, and we are still salivating over those ladies’ cheeses.

Disaronno, November 2020

Fellini’s La Dolce Vita has captured the imagination of artists, designers, directors and, it seems, drink advertisers, as seen in Peroni’s 2007 scene by scene homage ‘La Dolce Vita in Colour’, and in the 2010 advert for Martini Gold’s collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana. In November, when Disaronno released its own version, Britain was deep into its winter, and with most of the country under tier three and four restrictions, or the equivalent, the advert was transportive. Another dreamy Italian story in black and white, featuring the Trevi Fountain, scooters, cobbled streets and glamorous friends having a good time. There is nothing original about this advert, but it oozes the holiday we’re longing for this summer.

Absolut, November 2020

Targeting consumers of legal drinking age from younger generations, including Generation Z, Pernod Ricard-owned Absolut Vodka released this animated advert in November, featuring British musician MNEK, American social activist Tessa Thompson, gamer Ricki Ortiz and Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jolin Tsai. Using the hashtag #togetherIRL – together in real life – the advert encourages inclusivity and coming together, in very modern terms. ‘Escaping face filters, trolls, virtual scrolls,’ it says, ‘Get ready for reality.’ Did the clip want us to get out and see our friends? Not necessarily. But were we impressed by the universe created by the advert? And did we agree with its sentiment? Absolut-ly.

Carlsberg, January 2021

For over three years Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has been creating entertaining adverts for Carlsberg. This January saw the release of another, this time for alcohol-free beer. The series has had Mikkelsen doing all sorts of things ‘The Danish Way’ – commuting, sharing, dining, and dancing. Playing on his role as James Bond’s nemesis Le Chiffre, one advert even has him ‘dealing’ with the person responsible for brewing an old type of beer. But this New Year advert is a lot brighter. Almost certainly released to capture the dry January crowd, this ad makes fun of itself, and sees Mikkelsen playing tennis and parking in space – all in a post-pandemic world.

Dom Pérignon x Lady Gaga, April 2021

Last week came the news that Lady Gaga and Dom Pérignon are releasing a limited edition Jeroboam of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005 together, which is being described as a ‘sculpture’. This is not the first celebrity collaboration with Dom Pérignon: in 2018 Lenny Kravitz took over the role of creative director.

Following days of teasing online, on 6 April the advert was released, a minute-long scene of their ‘Queendom’, a space in which Gaga’s identifiable power-pop plays over a pink, metallic and crystal morphing background. Created by Britt Lloyd and Nick Knight with Showstudio, the sequence is everything one would expect from Lady Gaga, making for an explosive and novel Champagne advert.

Budweiser, April 2021

We loved everything about this Budweiser advert, released this month as lockdown restrictions are finally being loosened. ‘Remember this?’ it says, with pictures of friends laughing, barbecues, sports and concerts. Although Budweiser is synonymous with America, according to YouGov the beer is the tenth most popular and the fourth most well-known beer in the UK. This advert then, with it’s defiant ‘Good times are coming’ declaration, and with Jimmy Durante’s I’ll Be Seeing You playing over the images, is heart-warming. It’s hard not to feel moved by its hopeful tone after an extremely tough year.

Beefeater Gin, June 2020

Although this advert is 10 months old, with London now rearing to go, and with outside drinking and eating finally permitted, Beefeater’s ‘The Spirit of London’ advert still works well. Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and The London Eye are all featured, sharing each scene with fresh beverages. There are condensation lined iced glasses, bubbling mixers, tea and orange juice. It might be a tourist’s idea of London, but after a year spent inside, it’s a London that we too are excited to return to.

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