“Tequila is liberty.” Well, drink enough of it and you’re bound to feel you can do anything. But Justin Timberlake’s very own 901 Silver Tequila serves up the new brand as something a tad more sophisticated than what you’d pour in the average popper or body shot. Making his directorial debut, Timberlake goes for smooth and sexy to raise his brand above the rest. The copy, served straight to camera, borrows from the philosophical musings of John Stuart Mill. Two spots star sexy females commandeering their men — one in lingerie, another with handcuffs and a whip in the boardroom. A third commercial sums up the strategy with singer/songwriter Tony Lucca. “He who does anything because it is custom makes no choice,” Lucca says, suggesting the superior solution: drinking the “uncommonly smooth” 901 on the rocks. –Eleftheria Parpis
