Hasta La Creative!

What do you get when you bring together two of the world’s most interesting men? A hotel ad, apparently. 

To promote the upcoming reveal of the first-ever Virgin Hotel, located in Chicago, iconic billionaire Richard Branson has created an ad that also features actor Jonathan Goldsmith, best known as Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World.

Of course, Branson never refers to his costar by his nom de meme, but the creative concept’s not too far off from the usual Dos Equis fare. Branson pontificates on rumors about his long-awaited, frequently delayed hotel launch, with mythical tidbits like, “The beds are so springy, they had to lift the ceilings 16 inches.”

It’s not the most cinematic or flawlessly performed ad. But for a one-city hotel promotion, it’s a pretty clever combination of two epic marketing personalities. 

Starting Wednesday, the hotel will also be displaying similar “rumors” outside the building at 203 N. Wabash Ave. If you tweet a rumor of your own from the Virgin Hotels website, you could be entered to win a two-night stay at the hotel.

CREDITS
Client: Virgin
Agency: One Trick Pony
Executive Creative Director: Rob Reed
Creative Director: Bill Starkey
Account Management: Keith Pizer, Steve Snyder
Production Company: Virgin Produced
Director: Yarrow Kraner
Executive Producers: Huntley Ritter, Brian Skuletich 

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."