What you will find in the article:
- Exploration of celebrity roles in beer commercials
- Analysis of famous beer ads featuring global stars
- Impact of celebrity associations on brand perception
- Examples of successful beer campaigns with celebrities
- Risks of celebrity dominance in advertising effectiveness
Casting a famous actor or singer in an advertisement is not simply a way to buy a few seconds of attention. It is also something of a risky shortcut. Viewers bring everything they already know about that person into the commercial: their roles, songs, scandals, humour and public persona. A beer brand can then cleverly make use of these associations, turn them into a joke or place the celebrity in an unexpected situation. When it works, the celebrity lends the advertisement more than just their face – they become part of the idea itself. When it does not, audiences remember the star while the beer fades into the background. If the celebrity becomes too dominant, the so-called “vampire effect” can occur: viewers remember the famous face, but no longer know which product they were promoting.
Popularity alone, of course, does not guarantee success. What matters is that the connection between the celebrity and the product feels natural and that the star supports the central idea of the advertisement.
Looking at some of the best-known beer campaigns, celebrities usually take on one of three roles. Sometimes they play themselves and the brand borrows their lifestyle. At other times, they return to a famous screen character, as when Sarah Jessica Parker once again stepped into the role of Carrie Bradshaw or Daniel Craig returned to a Bond-style chase. The third option is to create an entirely new advertising character around the actor – as Guinness did when it transformed Rutger Hauer into a mysterious man inhabiting a strange black-and-white world.
Brad Pitt: A Beer Run Turned Action Movie
In Heineken’s “Beer Run” commercial, Brad Pitt discovers that he has run out of beer at home and heads to the store. What would be a completely routine errand for most people turns into a chase involving an ever-growing swarm of paparazzi. The actor tries to make his way home carrying a pack of beer while more and more photographers pursue him through the streets. The commercial has the pace of a miniature action film – and for good reason. The 2005 spot was directed by David Fincher, who had previously worked with Pitt on films including Se7en and Fight Club.
The technical side of the commercial was particularly noteworthy. Digital Domain created computer-generated crowds, including their shadows and reflections, and combined them with live-action footage. One of the sweeping camera shots over the city was created entirely digitally. The commercial premiered during the Super Bowl, giving an ordinary trip to buy beer a suitably Hollywood-scale production.
Video: Heineken – Beer Run
Mads Mikkelsen: The Danish Recipe for Happiness
In Carlsberg’s “The Danish Way” commercial, acclaimed Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen gets on a bicycle and guides viewers through Copenhagen while reflecting on why Danes are often considered one of the happiest nations in the world. He passes familiar landmarks, rides across rooftops, cycles through an apartment and eventually arrives at the Carlsberg brewery. He finds the answer in simplicity, balance and the ability to enjoy life. Carlsberg invested £15 million in the 2017 integrated UK campaign. It is also worth noting that the commercial was directed by leading Czech advertising director Martin Krejčí.
Video: Carlsberg – The Danish Way
Sarah Jessica Parker and Jeff Bridges: When Stars Change Their Usual Drink
In Stella Artois’s 2019 “Change Up the Usual” commercial, Sarah Jessica Parker enters a restaurant as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. Instead of ordering her usual Cosmopolitan, however, she asks for a Stella Artois. The staff are so surprised that the restaurant’s normal operation descends into a minor disaster. Moments later, Jeff Bridges appears as The Dude from The Big Lebowski and orders the same beer instead of his favourite White Russian. Two characters whose drinks have become part of popular culture thus “change up their usual”. The commercial aired during the Super Bowl and formed part of the “Pour It Forward” campaign, which Stella Artois developed in partnership with Water.org. In this case, the famous faces were not only promoting a change of drink, but also a charitable programme aimed at improving access to safe water.
Video: Stella Artois – Change Up the Usual
Snoop Dogg: You Can’t Rush the Good Life
In Corona’s “La Vida Más Fina” commercial, celebrated American rapper Snoop Dogg strolls along the beach, relaxes by the sea and explains in his characteristically laid-back manner that the good life does not have to be about money or grand plans. Sometimes all it takes is a change of perspective, slowing down and enjoying the moment. The series of commercials does not rely on a complicated storyline. Instead, the campaign is built primarily around Snoop Dogg’s relaxed personality, which blends almost perfectly with Corona’s long-established beach atmosphere. The campaign was launched in August 2020 as the first joint campaign for the entire Corona product family. It included 15- and 30-second TV commercials, digital content, social media and a dedicated library of animations on Giphy. Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny later joined the campaign to help the brand emphasise its Hispanic and Mexican roots.
Video: Corona – La Vida Más Fina
Post Malone: What Happens Inside Your Head When Choosing a Beer
The hero of Bud Light’s “Posty Store: Inside Post's Brain” commercial is Post Malone, who walks into a store intending to buy Bud Light. At the refrigerated section, however, he spots the new Bud Light Seltzer and the camera moves inside his head. Inside the singer’s brain is a team of tiny operators controlling his body – arguing, voting, pulling levers and trying to decide which drink their owner should choose. A simple purchase turns into a chaotic parody of a disaster-movie control room. The brand created two versions of the advertisement – one set in a store and the other in a bar – and let fans vote ahead of the Super Bowl on which one would actually air during the broadcast. The store version won. In 2020, Post Malone therefore became not only the face of the advertisement, but also part of a small audience experiment that attracted attention to the spot even before its television premiere.
Video: Bud Light – Inside Post's Brain
Robbie Williams: Nothing Beats the Original
The “Nothing Beats the Original” commercial launched by Pilsner Urquell in 2021 initially shows several performers attempting to imitate Robbie Williams’ famous concert style. They may be talented and they may know his moves and songs, but there is only one true original. When Williams himself appears performing live, the commercial applies the same idea to Pilsner Urquell: countless pilsner-style beers may exist, but the original pilsner lager comes from only one place. The television commercial followed an earlier film featuring Louis Armstrong and was intended for several international markets. It aired both on television and online platforms. The creative concept was developed by McCann Prague and McCann Manchester, with Czech company Armada Production handling production.
Video: Pilsner Urquell – Nothing Beats the Original
Orlando Bloom: A Hollywood Star Searches for the Secret of Prague Beer
In a commercial for Staropramen, Orlando Bloom searches Prague for the secret behind the city’s beer culture. He makes his way through sunny terraces, historic streets and underground spaces before arriving directly at the Smíchov brewery. The 2023 commercial “The Prague Expert” plays with the idea that understanding beer is almost a detective discipline – and that the real answer is not found in legends, but in the people who brew it. Bloom was not chosen by chance. He spent several years living and working in Prague while filming the series Carnival Row, allowing him to speak in the commercial about his genuine relationship with the city. Staropramen appointed him as a brand ambassador for an international campaign launched across European markets and in the United Kingdom. The commercial was filmed directly in Prague as part of the “Brewed by Experts, for Experts” campaign.
Video: Staropramen – The Prague Expert
Rutger Hauer: The Mysterious Man in Black
Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, best known as replicant Roy Batty from Blade Runner, became the face of Guinness’s “Pure Genius” advertising series in 1987. In the commercials, he appeared as a mysterious man in black, moving through surreal settings, delivering cryptic lines and leaving viewers to solve various visual riddles. The actor’s appearance itself also played an important role. His black clothing echoed the dark beer, while his strikingly light hair referenced the white head of foam on a Guinness. Hauer continued appearing in the advertisements until 1994, and his character gradually became almost a cult advertising figure. The campaign showed that a celebrity does not have to openly praise a product. Sometimes, it is enough to create such a distinctive and mysterious character that audiences permanently associate them with the brand.
Video: Guinness – Pure Genius
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Co.: A Night Where Anything Can Happen
The main character in Bud Light’s “Ian Up for Whatever” commercial is not a celebrity, but an unsuspecting man named Ian. When he accepts the offered beer and agrees to be “up for whatever”, an increasingly absurd night unfolds around him, resembling the dream of someone who fell asleep while watching the Super Bowl. He rides in a limousine with musician Reggie Watts, then meets actress Minka Kelly, who chooses a new outfit for him. In an elevator, he encounters Don Cheadle accompanied by a llama, before eventually facing Arnold Schwarzenegger in a game of table tennis, complete with long hair and flamboyant sportswear. The finale also features a performance by OneRepublic. The 2014 commercial became the centrepiece of the “Up for Whatever” campaign and placed famous faces in unexpected roles. They are not the protagonists of the story, but instead function as increasingly absurd surprises waiting behind each new door.
Video: Bud Light – Ian Up for Whatever
Daniel Craig: When an Advertisement Casts James Bond
Heineken’s “The Chase” commercial does not rely solely on the popularity of actor Daniel Craig, but above all on the character audiences around the world recognise instantly. As James Bond, Craig finds himself in the middle of a speedboat chase and unexpectedly pulls a young woman into the action. She is dragged across the water on water skis, crashes through a wedding celebration and gradually becomes Bond’s unexpected yet indispensable ally. There are stunts, dry humour and, naturally, a beer delivered at exactly the right moment. The commercial was created as part of the global campaign for the film Spectre. At the same time, Heineken produced approximately half a billion specially marked bottles, cans and packs which, when scanned, unlocked exclusive Bond content and behind-the-scenes material. James Bond may be a fictional character, but from an advertising perspective he offers all the advantages of a real celebrity: instant recognition, a clearly defined personality and a global audience.
Video: Heineken – The Chase
Celebrities can bring humour, prestige and instant attention to beer advertising. But the most successful campaigns do not rely on a famous name alone – they work best when the personality fits naturally into the story and helps express the character of the brand. That is precisely why viewers often remember not only the beer being advertised, but also a scene, a line or a character that remains associated with it for years.