Ad of the Day: Captain Morgan

Anomaly's latest spot for Captain Morgan is out, and it's supposedly the final commercial in the rum brand's "To Life, Love and Loot" campaign, directed by Tom Hooper, the Oscar-winning director of The King's Speech. The ad is the biggest departure yet from Captain Henry Morgan's old rum-guzzling, party-animal persona. There's not even a boat in sight.

The year is 1661, and the Captain is at a very stodgy dinner party in Santo Domingo, set to the anachronistic chords of the White Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit." When a pretty young maid accidentally breaks a glass, shattering the table's otherwise silent mood, a wizened old lady gives her a withering stare of displeasure. In his usual manner, the debonair Captain decides to add a little fun to the occasion and slyly breaks his own glass, getting a few hesitant looks of approval from the other dusty attendees. Soon enough, the uptight diners have let loose, and the party turns into a glass-shattering, plate-throwing, sexually charged free-for-all. Even the disapproving old lady joins in after receiving a irresistible raised eyebrow from the Captain.

This last spot is Hooper's most sophisticated by far—no ships, no fighting, no dirty sailors—and our formerly raucous Captain seems almost like a 17th century Don Draper with his signature quiet rakishness, always ready to shake up the status quo with a single beguiling glance.







CREDITS:
Client: Captain Morgan
Spot: "Glass"
Agency: Anomaly, New York
Creative Director: Mike Byrne
Art Director: Jon Zast
Copywriter: Andy Carrigan
Agency Producer: Andrew Loevenguth
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Tom Hooper
Editing: Rock Paper Scissors
Post-Production/VFX: Framestore
Telecine: Company 3
Audio Mix: audioEngine
Sound Design Company: Noises Digital
Music: The White Stripes, "Ball And Biscuit"
Music Clearance: Cornerstone