International rap star Vanilla Ice adds a particular tongue in cheek flavour to the new commercial for Castle Lite. Created for South African Breweries (SAB), the commercial emphasises the beer’s new extra cold attribute by aligning it with Vanilla Ice, otherwise known as Robert Matthew Van Winkle, and his number one hit single from the 90’s, “Ice Ice Baby’.
The brief to Ogilvy Cape Town was to highlight Castle Lite’s new intrinsic proposition about being “extra cold’. The temperature of the product is carefully managed from brewery to bar ensuring a crisp, premium beer. The new Castle Lite products also have thermocromatic ink stickers which appear blue when at their ideal temperature for consumption – extra cold.
The campaign also includes exclusive ice-cold fridges found in premium on-premise outlets across the country; these fridges house the new products ensuring it’s served to its consumers at extreme cold temperatures.
Ogilvy Cape Town and SAB worked with director, Peter Pohorsky of Plank Films, pushing the boundaries in the beer category.
“We needed a creative device to drive home the new product offering of being ice cold – and the classic “Ice Ice Baby’ song proved a winner. The first prize became to get Vanilla Ice to be part of the commercial and we were thrilled when he agreed,’ says Ogilvy Cape Town Creative Director, Gordon Ray.
The lead actor in the ad, Sekoati Tusban of Sewende Laan was one of Vanilla Ice”s most devoted fans as a young child. Tusban and the rest of the cast were in for a big surprise when Vanilla Ice appeared on set, as they were unaware he would be joining them in the commercial until the day of the shoot.
“It’s amazing what’s possible when we stop, collaborate, and listen,’ concludes Ogilvy Cape Town Managing Director, Gavin Levinsohn.
