Sleepless Travels Reloaded

James Boag seems to be a winner with their ad company. They’ve stopped showing the pilot ad for some time and have swapped it for this Italian James Bond (sort of) themed one called “Waiters”. You can watch the long version of the video here.

The TV short version goes a bit like this:
It opens on the scene of a large Italian party (dress code: black tie) with fully gussied up waiters. It’s shot in black and white. It’s like a classier black and white version of the the Ferrero Rocher Ambassador ad (handing out the little golden balls…). The only colour in the ad are the green bottles of James Boag beer [looks greener on tv than the website version] the waiters are running around with.The background music is minimalist drum and bass track overlaid with a striking Italian female vocal (opera style? I suck at genres).

A *smouldering* (Jamie: hehe) Italian chick is watching the action from a piazza on the second level and she catches the eye of this guy on the ground floor. She notices a security camera and arches her brow, signalling its presence to the guy. He takes a bottle of James Boag from the waiter. A mafioso notices the guy and throws a tantrum. A bunch of mafiosos watching the party from security cams in another room spot the guy and get all alarmed/excited. The female vocals get more frantic as they rush out down the stairs to the ground level to catch the guy that was spotted by the smouldering chick (who actually on further inspection looks a bit like a tranny to me), who whispers in the ear of an old waiter. The mafiosos approach a guy holding a bottle of James Boag from behind and lay hands on him. The vox reach a crescendo as they turn him around, then the vox drops right down when they realise it’s the wrong guy.

The text “Who Is James Boag?” then appears in white serif-style font on a plain black background.

Apparently, according to the press release, this is the fourth in the series of “Who is James Boag?” ads. Apparently the question has featured prominently in James Boag advertising for 12 years since 1995 (huh, so the pilot one must have been an exception).

Press release again:

More than 30 lead characters, 150 extras and 70 staff were involved in the production of Waiters

…

The commercial concept was developed by George Patterson Y&R in Melbourne, and was produced by Exit Films. Waiters was directed by Mark Molloy [Ooo. Wonder if he's related to comedian Mick Molloy], with director of photography, Greig Fraser, now currently involved in the filming of Baz Luhrmann’s new epic, “Australian”. Karl Richter created the compelling original score that features throughout the commercial.

I didn’t really like it initially because it just doesn’t feel very aussie, for an aussie beer. It’s too slick…I mean for goodness sakes it’s all Italian-y. I guess they are trying to market the beer as a product that will appeal to the well-heeled type; the international man of mystery type. Harrumph. Oooo. Looks like I was right - Mr Lyndon Adams, J.Boag & Son Director of Sales and Marketing states in the press release that:

…the “Who is James Boag?” campaign has been a major factor in the success of the brand, because it has reinforced the unique brand values of style, sophistication and intrigue.

He goes on to say:

“We’ve left nothing to chance in producing this commercial, and the result is something we believe truly reflects the premium positioning of our brand”