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Owners of successful brands don’t spend a lot of (or any) time warning you to avoid them, but Ryan Reynolds continues to be an exception to most of marketing’s rules.
In the newest spot from the actor, investor and ad agency owner, Reynolds advises fans to be wary of partaking in Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile at the same time—i.e., drinking and texting.
The co-branded ad is timed for the emergence of America from the many public-gathering restrictions enacted to prevent the spread of Covid-19 over this past year. Thanks to mass vaccination, the country seems close to moving into a post-pandemic era.
“Bars and restaurants are opening their doors, and the distance between us all is finally starting to disappear,” Reynolds said in the ad. “But as the owner of both a gin company and a wireless company, I feel a special obligation to say to everyone watching: Please, don’t Aviation and Mint.”
The spot centers on the relatable practice of texting while tipsy, which can result in crossed connections and all manner of cringey moments.
While Reynolds’ story about his mom sending a saucy text to one of his brothers is the most attention-grabbing example, it’s worth looking elsewhere on the screen, where the text “I love you megan” elicits the response, “This is Molly,” to which she hears back, “You up molly?”
The co-branded approach is nothing new for Reynolds, who acquired an ownership stake in Aviation Gin in 2018 and maintained his title as owner after selling the brand to Diageo in a deal valued at $610 million. Also in 2018, he launched his content-creation agency, Maximum Effort. In 2018, he bought an ownership stake in Mint Mobile.
Having some meta fun with his many investments, movie roles and sponsorship deals, Reynolds created an ad in 2019 that was ostensibly for his Netflix movie 6 Underground and Samsung QLED TVs, but included a “mid-roll ad buy” for Aviation.
