Tia Maria [TV Advertisement]

...partaking in a glass of Tia Maria liqueur. We see her rubbing the rim of her glass in a mysterious fashion; to produce a high pitched signal - cuts to scene with young man at newspaper stall who suddenly finds himself entranced by aforementioned signal. He is powerless to resist as he drops his cup of coffee and stumbles through the streets in a trance, until he reaches the luxury apartment of the mysterious young lady. He enters the apartment and ...
...this advert make me buy Tia Maria?

I'm afraid not - because despite this clever commercial I have no idea what it tastes like nor what food or occasion this would complement. Comparing this to the current Bailey's advertisements where subtle sexuality and imagery is used to great effect in communicating the "Bailey's Experience" I find the Tia Maria advert somewhat lacking.

A good advert to establish brand ... more

This advert has been in circulation for some time now - it tends to get brought out at Christmas primarily, but it is quite well-made and stands up to the repeat showings.

The advert shows a mysterious young lady partaking in a glass of Tia Maria liqueur. We see her rubbing the rim of her glass in a mysterious fashion; to produce a high pitched signal - cuts to scene with young man at newspaper stall who suddenly finds himself entranced by aforementioned signal. He is powerless to resist as he drops his cup of coffee and stumbles through the streets in a trance, until he reaches the luxury apartment of the mysterious young lady. He enters the apartment and stands in front of her, awaiting her instruction. There is a puzzled expression on his face as both pairs of hands move below his waistline as he is forced to………. undo her jar of gherkins.

This is a great commercial - the first time you watch it you haven't got a clue what's going and the gherkin scenario is quite amusing. The advert is stylishly produced, set at night to heighten the dark atmosphere, and I particularly like the way the gherkin scene is shot so that you too are momentarily puzzled as to what's going on "down there". The advert seems to have been made on a reasonably high budget - particularly as the young man in question is played by the Hollywood film actor Stephen Dorff. Dorff's expression "a la gherkin" is a subtle mixture of surprise and discomfort and is particularly apt.

Would this advert make me buy Tia Maria?

I'm afraid not - because despite this clever commercial I have no idea what it tastes like nor what food or occasion this would complement. Comparing this to the current Bailey's advertisements where subtle sexuality and imagery is used to great effect in communicating the "Bailey's Experience" I find the Tia Maria advert somewhat lacking.

A good advert to establish brand familiarity but not enough to attract new customers.
 

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