Four for the Road

Remember some of the great commercials of the Caribbean? The ones we (well, I) remember reading, watching and listening to while growing up, that promoted the classic brands and products of the region?

We're going to take a closer look at some of our great Caribbean brands in the days ahead on this blog. For now, we rummaged through the YouTube archive and found three of our favourite classic television ads. They all happen to be for drinks and spirits—a product category that is a strength for this region.

Malibu White Rum

This one is from the 1980’s when Malibu was being made with Jamaican rum. The technique of photographing everything in silhouette—echoing the visual style of the Malibu logo itself—is brilliant. And Marley's music makes it sing:

Cockspur Rum

More recent vintage, I think (maybe the 90's?). Not great but it got your attention the first few times you saw it: a brilliantly-coloured rooster taking a boss-man stroll around busy New York City:

Lucozade Energy

I love this commercial—one of the best, ever. Cartoon animation makes it timeless, the soca music is fantastic, the wit sweet (the bit at the end is the best). Imagine: a non-alcoholic drink that makes you want to party. This was the first in a series from a few years ago that had the 'stick man' getting out of all sorts of sticky situations thanks to Lucozade:

Bonus: Tia Maria
I came back and slipped this one in after finishing the original post. Tia Maria was for decades the iconic Jamaican liqueur. The video comments say that this is an Australian ad but I remember watching it on TV all the time as a youngster; the words to the jingle came right back to me. Again, the music makes this commercial magic:

What are some of your choices for other great Caribbean commercials?