Captain Morgan stars in new global ad trilogy

Perfect Getaway – the first episode of a new ad trilogy for Diageo's spiced rum brand Captain Morgan premiered this week.

Set in 1668 Port Royal, Jamaica, the three-part commercial series, called Perfect Getaway, produced by Academy Award-nominated writer/director Todd Field, features adventures based on the historical accounts of the real-life Captain Henry Morgan.

“It’s kind of amazing how many people are unaware that Morgan’s legacy existed long before he appeared on the label of a bottle,” says Todd Field. “The job of everyone on our team was to bring Morgan’s adventurous spirit to life through this trilogy – to try and paint as compelling a picture as possible of his world, and the people who might have really populated it at that time.”

Shot in an undisclosed exotic location, the magnitude of the project rivalled the work of many motion picture productions, from explosive special effects to constructing a replica of Morgan’s flagship The Satisfaction to utilizing over 450 extras throughout the shoot. Nathan Crowley, Academy Award-nominated production designer for blockbusters including Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises and John Carter, also joined the team to visually bring the world of Henry Morgan to life.

“Successfully capturing the look and feel of a 17th century Port Royal, Jamaica was integral to making this project visually impactful,” said Crowley. “Our team created a world that viewers can believe in and one that further characterizes Captain Henry Morgan himself.”

The next instalment of its ‘To Life, Love and Loot’ ad campaign, the Captain Morgan brand continues to explore the depths and complexities of the man who has become synonymous with spiced rum, and emphasizes Captain Henry Morgan’s historic legacy through the new Trilogy episodes – each building on the one which precedes it.

“We continue to take great pride in the fact that the legacy of our brand is built on real-life adventurer Captain Henry Morgan, and embrace his character as the source of our inspiration for developing innovative marketing campaigns” said Tom Herbst, VP Captain Morgan brand director in the US. “Through the Trilogy series we hope to show that every adventure is one worth celebrating responsibly, and we hope that adult consumers everywhere will aspire to do the same.”

Created by Anomaly Advertising, Perfect Getaway made its debut on March 17 during the new episode of AMC’s Walking Dead. The :30 and :60 second spots will continue to air in general rotation across sports and entertainment television broadcast affiliates, including ESPN, ESPN Deporrted and TBS, with the remaining two episodes, Cave and Fire Ship, premiering later in 2013. In addition, each episode will be viewable on the brand’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

19 March 2013 - Felicity Murray