The Most Interesting Man in the World
The Most Interesting Man in The World | |
---|---|
Goldsmith plays the Most Interesting Man in the World | |
First appearance | 2006 |
Last appearance | March 2016 |
Portrayed by |
Jonathan Goldsmith Claudio Marangone (young)[1] |
Company | Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery |
Information | |
Aliases | The World's Most Interesting Man |
Gender | Male |
The Most Interesting Man in the World is an advertising campaign for the Dos Equis brand of beer, produced by the marketing firm Euro RSCG for Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery.[2] The ads feature Jonathan Goldsmith as "the world's most interesting man" and are narrated by Frontline's Will Lyman.[3] Goldsmith has stated that his friend, actor Fernando Lamas, was an inspiration in creating the character.[4] The advertisements first began appearing in the United States in 2006 and have since then become a popular Internet meme.
In March 2016, Dos Equis announced Goldsmith's retirement from the role, with a commercial sending him on a one-way journey to Mars amid much acclaim, and the narration: "His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like".[5]
Advertisements
The advertisements feature a bearded, debonair gentleman, roughly in his 70s, portrayed by actor Jonathan Goldsmith,[6] with Frontline narrator Will Lyman providing voiceovers. They also feature a montage (mostly in black and white) of daring exploits involving "the most interesting man" when he was younger, in which the character is played by actor Claudio Marangone.[7]
The precise settings are never revealed, but he performs feats such as freeing an angry bear from a painful-looking bear trap, shooting a pool trick shot before an Indian audience (by shooting the cue ball out of the mouth of a man lying on the pool table), catching a marlin while cavorting in a Hemingway-esque scene with a beautiful young woman, winning an arm-wrestling match in a South American setting, surfing a killer wave, and bench pressing two young East Asian women, each seated in a chair, in a casino setting. The voiceovers themselves are intended to be both humorous and outrageous, and include humorous undertones such as his giving his own father "the talk", experiencing an awkward moment just to know how it felt, and finding the Fountain of Youth but not drinking from it, "because he wasn't thirsty". Other feats are more centered on his physical abilities and personality. These include his small talk changing foreign policies, parallel-parking a train, and slamming a revolving door.
At the end of the advertisement, the most interesting man, usually shown sitting in a night club or other social setting surrounded by several beautiful young women, says, "I don't always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis". Each commercial ends with him stating the signature sign-off: "Stay thirsty, my friends."[8]
There are secondary advertisements that are similar to the final part of the original advertisements. They feature the man sitting in a social setting, surrounded by beautiful young women, conveying a short opinion to the viewer on certain subjects, such as bar nuts, the two-party system, self-defense, trophy wives, and "bromance". He then finishes the advertisement by holding a Dos Equis beer and saying, "Stay thirsty, my friends."
Sales strategy and results
The agency's rationale for the brand strategy was defined as: "He is a man rich in stories and experiences, much the way the audience hopes to be in the future. Rather than an embodiment of the brand, The Most Interesting Man is a voluntary brand spokesperson: he and Dos Equis share a point of view on life that it should be lived interestingly."[9] According to the company, U.S. sales increased each year between 2006–2010[10] and tripled in Canada in 2008,[11] although exact figures were not provided. Sales of Dos Equis are said to have increased by 22% at a time when sale of other imported beer fell 4% in the U.S.[11]
Goldsmith said in an interview that he realized how successful the campaign had been when a man came up to him in a restaurant, telling Goldsmith that the man had asked his young son what he wanted to be when he grew up, and the son replied: "I want to be The Most Interesting Man In The World."[12]
In popular culture
The Most Interesting Man in the World has become an Internet meme, with a picture of The Most Interesting Man accompanying the phrasal template "I don't always [X], but when I do, I [Y]".[13][14][15]
Also, on the September 22, 2012 airing of Saturday Night Live, guest host Joseph Gordon-Levitt played the unimpressive Son of the The Most Interesting Man in the World in a pair of sketches with Jason Sudeikis appearing as his father in the second.[16][17]
See also
References
- ↑ E.J. Schultz (March 5, 2012). "The Story Behind Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World - Behind The Work - Advertising Age". adage.com. Advertising Age. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ↑ Helliesen, Gunnar (04/7/2010). "The most interesting ad in the world". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ↑ Forbes, Paula (5/4/2009). "Every Video from Dos Equis' The Most Interesting Man In the World Ad Campaign". Archived August 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Paumgarten, Nick (February 7, 2011). "INTERESTING". The New Yorker Magazine. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ↑ Wang, Yanan (10 March 2016). "The ‘Most Interesting Man in the World’ just lost his job". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ↑ "The Sydney Morning Herald Blogs: All Men Are Liars". smh.com.au. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ↑ "On the Set With The Most Interesting Man in the World". adage.com. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ "秘密のチャットレディバイト". staythirstymyfriends.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ↑ Francis Pruett. "The Most Interesting Beer Campaign in The World?". The Witty Barman Guide. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ↑ Austin Carr (2010-07-26). "Why The Most Interesting Man in the World Moves More Units Than Old Spice Guy". Fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- 1 2 Kate Lunau (2009-08-13). "King of beer sales, amigo". Maclean's. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ WHATUNEEDTV (2010-10-11). "Jonathan Goldsmith Dos Equis: "The Most Interesting Man" at the 2009 World Music Awards". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
- ↑ Kathleen Strecker (2012-05-17). "Share ALL the memes! - Coast Weekend: Coastal Life". Coast Weekend. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
- ↑ "Campus-themed Internet memes go viral –". Usatoday.com. 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
- ↑ Kaiser, Johanna (2012-04-13). "Massachusetts students use memes to joke about high school - Beverly - Your Town". Boston.com. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
- ↑ "Watch Saturday Night Live: Tres Equis I Online / Hulu". 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Watch Saturday Night Live: Tres Equis II Online / Hulu". 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2016-04-05.