AdNausea

“Got a lil’ Captain in you?”

I am not much of a drinker, but I do love ads for alcohol. Usually the print are a bit bland, but the commercials really stand out. Things like wine coolers, wine in general and the fruity liquor you can guess are targetting women. But men drink this stuff too. And it’s hard for a brand to sell a product that is opposite of it’s normal ones, so the same target without making men seem stupid or without losing respect. In Captain Morgan’s commercials, they’ve done a great job at keeping the attitude they have and still relating to guys - which is difficult to do when you have an FMB (flavored malt beverage) which is normally considered a “chick drink.” This commercial is for Gold.

The good Captain has good sense - this Halloween commercial aired and showed quite a bit before the big holiday. And, I’m not the first to comment this, but who comes to a part dressed like a wall socket? Good metaphor for sex though. (She’s the female part of the socket, he’s the male.)

And a nice little inside view on the support group of men. I guess they stick up for each other just as much as women do. This is the full length version (1 minute) and it’s much funnier than I thought the last two were.

And last commercial, this one isn’t great until the end - I always love seeing how different brands of alcohol and hard liquor conquer the “drink responsibly” part and I think this nailed it.

Well, after searching a bit - I have a few print ads to show you. Let me warn you, they aren’t as fun as the commercials… actually a bit bland, considering the personality the brand has today. But… let’s be fair.This campaign came out in 2003 and was in men’s magazines (This one specifically ran in Honey). Each one features a fun loving group of people with a piece of the Captain. Mostly the women - they had on his boots, his hat and his mustache. These are quite boring… we know the Captain was there, he’s looking right over your shoulder!

This one also came out in 2003 and I’m not sure I like it. At least the previous one has some sort of attitude and fun to it. This one is probably aimed toward people who recognize the poster and does Captain Morgan really do that to your senses? The thing I do like though, is that the rainbow that’s coming out of the prism isn’t your typical ROYGBIV, it’s the main colors of the bottle.

Here’s one that come out in 2004 in a lot of men’s magazines. I love that they’re getting the personality they’re known for into the ads. Granted, the slogan has changed and this probably came out around the same time the first few commercials and sightings of “got a lil’ captain in you” came out. But still, it’s refreshing to see it, eh?

And lastly, I’ll disappoint you with this one. This was in 2006, in women’s magazines like Cosmo, but you’ll be surprised to know that it was also in FHM. It’s awkward to see how differently the brand presents itself to the different genders. Why this toned down, wine-cooler, romance novel approach? Why not show a woman with her leg up and a man washing her car on a leash? Or fanning her with modern day palm leaves? You know what? That would have been better than this. This weakens the brand - you see this and you don’t KNOW it’s from Captain Morgan… with the others, right off the bat, you did. How disappointing indeed.

Let’s end it with this awesome little thing. I, for one, love LOL Cats. And this one brightens my day. Oh you silly, silly uneducated cats, kittens, rodents and sometimes exotic animals. How I love you.

For the credits: The print ads were found from www.camy.org. 

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