Kingfisher ropes in Gilchrist and Lee for 'Good Times'

Australian cricketing duo Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee - best known for their raw savagery, especially in the shorter version of the game - would soon be seen doing a jig, picking up a lesson and basically chilling out. The reason: beer brand, Kingfisher.

Actually, the two men from Down Under would be appearing in an ad for Kingfisher, which is scheduled to go on air shortly. Lee and Gilchrist, for the record, have been signed on as the Indian brand's international ambassadors. "Kingfisher is retailed across 52 countries, and it is time that Indians got to feel they were consuming a world-class lifestyle product," Ramesh Viswanathan, general manager - marketing, breweries division, UB Group, told agencyfaqs!. "Hence, we decided to rope in Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee as our brand ambassadors," For Kingfisher, the new faces come after a three-year hiatus, following endorsements from Ajay Jadeja and Sourav Ganguly. The brand had, of course, the entire West Indies team endorsing it in the 1996 World Cup.

The new television commercial (created by JWT, Bangalore) is scheduled to break over the weekend, to coincide with the India-Australia fixture of this World Cup. The ad - which has been shot in Australia by South African director Vicci Turpin, and produced at Cutting Edge - goes like this. The film opens with the familiar ‘Ooh-la-la-la…' jingle in the background. A shot of Brett Lee shows him taking a wicket, and doing a jubilant jig. Intrigued, Gilchrist asks him, ‘Where did you learn that?' Lee responds by suggesting why not go over to the place…

The duo arrives at Club Kingfisher, and Lee rushes to the dance floor and does the jig. This time, Gilchrist joins him. The shot ends with the latter asking What else do they teach?' to which Lee replies, ‘Just have a good time!' The ad ends with the slug, ‘The King of Good Times'. The ad, incidentally, is for packaged drinking water.

Viswanathan is quick to assure that getting Lee and Gilchrist to endorse Kingfisher is not another quickly patched together idea with an eye on the World Cup. "Though the commercial obviously looks as if Kingfisher is cashing in on the cricket fever by roping in Lee and Gilchrist, the communication does not take its eye off the ball - which is to communicate fun, liveliness and, above all, very slick imagery," he says. And Dhunji S Wadia, vice-president & general manager, JWT, Bangalore, adds, "We have gone for personalities who are relatable internationally. They are known for their panache and style, which fit well with Kingfisher's brand values." That's for sure. Fiery Lee, a contender for the world's fastest bowler tag, plays for a rock band, while Gilchrist enjoys the most fearsome reputation of mauling the best bowling attack on his day.

The campaign will break across all major television channels, and will be followed by a print campaign. Although the company has upped its ad and marketing spends this year, it was not willing to divulge spends specific to this campaign. © 2003 agencyfaqs!