What does American country music have to do with a German immigrant named Jorg Rupf and his fruit-infused vodkas? Not much, really. But ad agency Dead As We Know It runs with a country theme anyway in this online video, getting Orville Davis to sing a catchy little tune about Rupf and his creation of Hangar One vodka in an actual former hangar at California's Alameda Naval Air Station. The earthy music clashes a bit with the artsy video, particularly the washed-out re-enactments of Rupf's life, but the vignettes are nicely shot and entertaining in a quirky way. Two-thirds of the way through, the video completely changes course, as Davis wanders out of the distillery and joins a group of young people laughing and singing around a fire at dusk. Rupf himself is there, so evidently this is an employee happy hour—no liquor runs necessary. As a whole, the video is an odd mix of Americana and hipsterism as seen through an immigrant success story, but it coheres somehow—probably because Rupf clearly believes in the myth of himself. (For proof, just check out his personal history on the Web site.) For the brand, which has been around since 1982, it's a decent attempt at letting the world in on its unique personality. Next time, perhaps, a little more hangar and a little less Jorg.
