NEW YORK Starting this week, retired heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis will star in a 30-second spot for Red Stripe beer via Omnicom’s BBDO, and in the first of what could be a series of Web shorts.
The “Red Stripe Ambassador,” donning boxing gloves and shorts, invites viewers to watch him fight Lewis in a “friendly bout.” As Lewis, who has Jamaican roots, pounds the stuffing out of a punching bag, the Ambassador cancels the fight and sends viewers to RedStripeBeer.com to learn how to cook pressed fried plantains.
The spot will run on outlets such as Comedy Central and ESPN in a broader placement than Red Stripe is used to, after spending $3 million in media last year, per TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.
Stamford, Conn.-based Diageo also is launching the Red Stripe 7-inch Single Series, a limited-edition release of 1,000 vinyl records featuring alt-rockers Reputation and Washdown that will be distributed to club deejays, music insiders and at Red Stripe music events.
—Adweek staff report
Boxer Lewis Stars for Red Stripe
