Ted Danson anchors quirky Smirnoff campaign that features diverse cast
The always dapper and versatile actor Ted Danson is the keystone of a new and rather quirky campaign for Smirnoff vodka, starring alongside actor and author Jenna Fischer, LGBTQ television personality Jonathan Van Ness, LGBTQ advocate and actor Laverne Cox and comedian and actor Nicole Byer.
Ted Danson and Nicole Byer for Smirnoff
The diverse group anchors a new creative campaign entitled ‘Welcome to the Fun%’ that celebrates good times and, apparently, colorful parties with some bold personalities.
In the spot with Cox, Danson waltzes across a tennis court, grabs a Smirnoff beverage and states that the vodka brand made in America for “everyone in America, no matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like…” he tails off as Cox enters the picture, dressed in the same blue suit and red tie, continuing, “or who wore it better.”
With Byer, at seemingly the same garden party with brightly dressed attendees and many lawn flamingos, he sings the praises of the vodka while Byer looks over Danson’s trophies, which are, for some reason, at the party.
As Danson cozies up to the bar in a spot with Van Ness, they are both served mini martinis, as Van Ness calls Danson the nickname “boobie,” to which Danson replies, “my mom called me that” with zeal.
“It’s always fun partnering with Smirnoff because it truly is a quality brand that is made for everyone,” said Danson in a release. “What I love most about this new series is the different personalities that Smirnoff brought to the table and how that came through in the spots. Never would I have thought I would be playing a game of “who wore it better” with Laverne Cox for example – definitely me by the way.”
Added Van Ness: “I really love what Smirnoff is doing with their Fun% campaign and what it stands for. It’s all about being unapologetically yourself and having fun the way you see it.”
The title spot, sans Danson, shows a bunch of people doing fun their own way, playing tennis on chairs with lemons, wearing two-person Christmas sweaters and riding topiary horses at a swanky estate, while enjoying what a voice over states is an affordable vodka for everyone.
Also, at the end of August, Smirnoff is rolling out a series of out-of-home advertisements in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as content on the brand’s social media platforms, featuring Chopped judge Chef Amanda Freitag, Instagram and YouTube star Toddy Smith, plus-size fashion designer Gabi Gregg, and celebrity drag queen and reality TV star Alyssa Edwards.
While the ads seem to be trying a bit too hard to push the diversity angle, they are, nonetheless, colorfully fun, and Danson is flawless in making the offbeat seem genuinely normal.
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