Astral Tequila cast 'The Most Interesting Man' in its first-ever creative campaign

Astral Tequila, founded by Master Sommelier Richard Betts as a heritage tequila made the way the spirit was before industrialisation, had never run a creative campaign and needed to establish itself against far bigger spirits brands.

Cast the actor who played The Most Interesting Man in the World being legendary again — a butler announces each feat and he toasts: 'This calls for tequila'

Ten spots launched 16 January 2018, starring Jonathan Goldsmith in his first large-scale advertising role since The Most Interesting Man. A butler gleefully announces his master's latest feat — bending a spoon with his mind, holding his breath for an hour, becoming the namesake of the sun — and Goldsmith answers 'This calls for tequila'. A June 2017 preview video directed by David Lipman plus 30-second social videos led in; the campaign ran across traditional and social media through 2018.

No view or sales figures are reported; the launch put a small heritage tequila in front of audiences by casting the actor famous as beer's Most Interesting Man.

When Astral Tequila launched its first creative campaign in January 2018, it reached for the actor audiences already associated with legendary drinking: Jonathan Goldsmith, who played The Most Interesting Man in the World. The ten-spot campaign, 'This Calls for Tequila', was created by Erich & Kallman and marked Goldsmith's first large-scale advertising appearance since that role.

Each spot runs the same gag: a butler arrives with news of Goldsmith's latest accomplishment — bending a spoon with his mind, holding his breath for an hour, becoming the namesake of the sun, winning a Best Actor award for a film not out yet — and Goldsmith replies, 'This calls for tequila', to the servant's 'The Finest Tequila!' The premise ties every celebration, from a friend's promotion to disarming a bomb while blindfolded, to Astral.

Astral previewed the partnership in June 2017 with a rare video message directed by David Lipman — 'I told you I don't always drink beer. I prefer tequila — Astral Tequila' — followed by 30-second social videos. Founder Richard Betts positioned Astral as a heritage tequila reminiscent of how the spirit was made before the process was industrialised. The campaign ran through 2018 across traditional and social media.

It converts the equity of a competitor's famous campaign into a launch asset — the casting is the strategy.

A repeatable two-hander (butler announces the feat, Goldsmith toasts) gives ten spots one comedic engine.

It reframes a small heritage brand as the reward for legendary moments, borrowing Goldsmith's aura rather than media weight.

Hiring a rival's icon flips their equity into your launch — the audience supplies the joke before the spot finishes.

The campaign ran through 2018 across traditional and social channels, with the first three spots hosted on Astral's own site. No performance figures appear in the source.