Hasta La Creative!

In a bit of Doctor Who-esque regeneration, Dos Equis on Wednesday introduced its new Most Interesting Man in the World—to replace Jonathan Goldsmith, who who retired from the role earlier this year. And this MIM isn’t just a new face. He heralds a new approach to the ads, in what the brewer calls a “contemporary twist to the legendary character.” 

He’s actor Augustin Legrand. And in the first hint that this isn’t your worldly grandfather’s Dos Equis campaign, Legrand is actually a French actor, and he delivers his first line as the MIM in Spanish.

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With the summer officially less than two weeks away, Havas Worldwide New York has launched “Luna Rising,” the latest campaign in its ongoing “The Most Interesting Man in the World” series for Dos Equis.

Three new spots tread familiar territory for the character, with Havas delivering what viewers have come to expect. There’s the comically exaggerated claims such as “If he were to mispronounce your name, you’d feel compelled to change it” and “Therapists open up to him,” as well as the nonsensical “When the odds are 50-50, they’re 80-20 in his favor.” For some reason, two of the three spots end with the character performing the ding-dong-ditch maneuver (which is not something anyone over the age of 14 generally does, let alone someone “interesting). And then there’s the casual sexual objectification of the brief “The Most Interesting Man in the World on Making the Most of Summer Night” which stoops lower with “The Most Interesting Man” telling viewers it’s their job to find the dark side of “even the brightest moon” while implying an impending threesome with two much younger women (basically the same formula as “The Most Interesting Man in the World on Cinco de Mayo”).

Credits:

Chief Creative Officer: Jason Peterson
Group ECD/Managing Director: Jason Musante
Executive Creative Director: Jim Hord
Creative Director: Paul Fix
Creative Director: Jamie Overkamp
Associate Creative Director: Matthew Hock
Associate Creative Director: David Fredette
Writer: Marty Bonacorso
Art Director:  Melissa Ploysophon
Junior Writer: Andrew Niemira
Junior Art Director: Melissa Stammer
Global Chief Content Officer: Vin Farrell
Co-Head of Production: Dave Evans
Co-Head of Production: Sylvain Tron
Executive Producer: Jill Meschino
Director of Broadcast Business Affairs: Cathy Pitegoff
Senior Broadcast Business Manager: Deborah Steeg
Senior Talent Specialist: Yvette Aponte
Group Account Director: Chris Budden
Account Director: Jamie Sundheim
Account Supervisor: Sara Heller
Account Executive: Jenny Maughan
Production Company: @radical.media
Director: Steve Miller
Director of Photography: Bryan Newman
Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo
Producer: Barbara Benson
Editorial Company: Arcade Edit
Editor: Jeff Ferruzzo
Executive Producer: Sila Soyer
Post Production:  Studio 6
VFX Supervisor / Flame Artist: Johnny Starace
Executive Producer:  Melati Phohan
Audio Engineer: Eric Thompson
Music Composer: Brett Fuchs
Colorist: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole
Audio: Sound Lounge
Partner/Mixer:  Peter Holcomb

Miller High Life would like you to meet Rich, the least interesting man in the world.

The champagne of beers, absent on national TV since 2012, is returning to the airwaves Monday with a new campaign from Leo Burnett, themed "I Am Rich." The concept, on its face, is that you don't need lots of money, or fancy drinks, to be happy.

More subtly, it's also a dog-whistle shot at Dos Equis: You don't need to be an international man of mystery to have a rewarding life.

Instead of the aspirational charm of a high-flying, larger-than-life jet-setter, there's grainy footage of dive-bar billiards, shot on 35mm film, which somehow comes off as both artsy and mundane.

The core, populist idea is a nice one and makes you really want to like the ads. The opening of "Central Park," one of two spots, shows promise. It's endearing that the dude likes to think of the scraggly tree outside his window as a Fifth Avenue penthouse view. And what sane person doesn't consider his or her gregarious dog to be a butler?

Unfortunately, Rich is pretty obnoxious, thanks to purple prose masquerading as cleverness. "My helipad is being resurfaced, so tonight we travel by more humble means," says Rich. "At my country club, we play parlor games with members of the royal family."

Walking to the local dive, drinking Miller High Life, and shooting pool with the owners seems like fun. So does hanging out with Rich's dog. But listening to Rich while he's spewing anxious nonsense about how awesome his life is? Not so much.

In fact, Rich doesn't really seem that happy at all. Or maybe, the voiceover is just a little too real. The kind of deadpan inside jokes that might fly in a casual conversation among friends don't quite work as persuasive ad copy for the masses, especially when the grit and sincerity of the footage end up working against the try-hard irony of the voiceover.

The ad ends up feeling like it's mocking the demographic it's trying to court. At least Rich can rest assured that he isn't making any beer execs richer by spending what little money he has on High Life.

You might think Dos Equis' mind-bendingly classy pitchman was too busy saving supermodels on the far side of the world to spend any time answering to the dweebish hoi polloi on an Internet forum. Guess again. Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who plays the brewer's "Most Interesting Man in the World," took to Reddit last week for an "Ask Me Anything" Q&A session with the site's community. While he's quick to point out he's had roles in some 350 movies and TV shows, he's also a crowd pleaser. The lion's share of his banter is very much in character. For example, what does he drink when he's not drinking beer? "A gin martini or almost anything from the Isle of Islay," of course. What are the seven words Eskimos use to call his beard? "Lovely, strong, ticklish, charming, mysterious, tasty, electric." How often does he get recognized? "Very often. A set of twins jumped out of a Rolls Royce to meet me in Hollywood traffic." His feelings toward fellow hyper-suave pitchman, Old Spice's Man Your Man Could Smell Like? "Isaiah [Mustafa] is a friend and a charming gentleman." But it's not all fun and games. Goldsmith did the Q&A to raise money for nonprofits Clear Path International and Mines Advisory Group, and their efforts to remove explosives from postwar zones like Vietnam. The actor's appearance has the masses clamoring for more, with one commenter challenging Dos Equis owner Heineken and Old Spice parent P&G to pair up Mustafa and Goldsmith for a "summer action blockbuster film," with part of the proceeds going to the mine-clearing cause. It's a great idea. Allow us to join in the pipe dreaming, and point out that the title more or less writes itself: "The Most Interesting Man Your Man Could Smell Like—in the World."