Jim Beam Taps Willem Dafoe for Bold Choices Campaign

Posted by Shirley Brady on February 11, 2011 11:30 AM

In a new campaign that merges a Tom Waits video with Being John Malkovich, Jim Beam's new "Bold Choice" campaign and tagline launched on US cable channels this week. The first TV commercial, "Parallels," stars actor Willem Dafoe in an array of guises (above) including fashion designer and sumo wrestler. Check out the longer spot for online after the jump.

From the brand's description for the campaign:

One of America's most iconic brands, Jim Beam, is sparking a cultural movement for bold choices. Because the bold choices we make, make us. The question is, which "us" will we choose? In the anthem for Jim Beam created by StrawberryFrog and filmed by Director Dante Ariola, Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe sparks our movement by ponding that exact question.

In this film, a young Dafoe is at a crossroads, faced with a choice. To boldly leave his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin, and head for the bright lights and long odds of an acting career in New York City, or stay put, and let fate play a leading role in deciding his future.

As he reflects on his decision, we explore the many futures that could have been — factory foreman, chess champion, aging punk, even sumo wrestler - but as Dafoe notes, in the end, there is really only choice.

"All choices lead you somewhere," Dafoe notes. "Bold choices take you where you're supposed to be."

In a related move, Jim Beam released the results of its poll to find the "25 boldest towns in America." So how does the brand define "bold"? After surveying 100,000 men nationwide, the top spot went to Spokane, Washington, based on the number of tattoos and the propensity to date one's boss.

More about: Jim Beam, Advertising, Willem Dafoe, Campaigns, Alcohol

lori says:

What a bold move by Jim Beam (pun was intended) in their new bold campaign.  This is an example of a brand who gets it, and is trying to put some heart and soul back into its brand by tapping into the hearts of it's customers.

In a society focused on instant gratification, making it happen now, and doing things their way - this campaign focused on bold choices is brilliant in my opinion.  On top of that, the choice to run a polling campaign looking for the top 25 boldest towns in America is just begging for a social media contest.

How cool would it be to get small towns across America to prove how bold they are by asking them to do something outrageous for a specific cause - maybe they get every merchant in town to collect 1.00 with each purchase to help with Breast Cancer.  Perhaps, they do a grassroots campaign to raise money for their local school system by having a town talent show.

The possibilities are endless, but making the prize a million bucks to your town for being outrageous sounds great to me.

Be bold Jim Beam, make it bigger than just one individual, make it count for how many people in your town participate.  And make the prize worth it! Drop a million dollars from your tv ad spend no one is watching anyway and take the money to do some good!

Imagine that - dollars that dared to matter from top brands across America.  Who's going to be first?

February 13, 2011 11:03 AM #