Diageo, Power Cut Kiss

Members:

2002 Television 85% Report A Problem

A man walks into a crowded bar when the power fails, as the music stops and the lights go out. Suddenly, in a close-up camera shot with some light, the man is kissed by a stranger. (A longer look reveals some of the later mystery.)

The power then returns and the man licks his lips, where he tastes Baileys leftover from the person's kiss.

He looks up to see a woman who raises her eyebrows at him and offers him a sip from her glass of Baileys with a smile. He takes a swig, and then another attractive woman shows up, also with a raised eyebrow and her glass of Baileys. The man is now surprised, unsure which of them has kissed him -- then yet another woman raises her glass to him. The man smiles a bit as all the women look at each other and smile -- he can't believe his luck. He now thinks he understands, but then a man also raises his eyebrow and glass of Baileys to the man, who once again has a look of discomfort.

At the end, all five of his "suitors" stand around him as they all laugh together. The tagline: "Let your senses guide you."

While the ad is inclusive, the subtle reaction from the man who is the object of the joke could have been more positive or neutral than it was.

Company

Diageo

Brand

Baileys Irish Cream

Industry

Alcoholic Beverages

Media Outlet

Television

Country

Ireland

Region

Europe

Agency

JWT

AdRespect Themes

Gay Tease

GLBT Inclusion

GLBT Punchline (laughing with)

User Comments

Chris Champion

That commercial is hysterical and it's just a friggen commercial. How bad would it be if he yelled and punched the guy out? First it would have offended quite a few people and it would have made the commercials suck.

John

I think it's more subtle. I read the look as what he wants the females to think. He looks to me as if he would have accepted a kiss from any one of them.

Steve

It was cute. The guy didn't act badly at all. How would YOU feel if you are a gay man who may have accidentally had a kiss with a woman? Cute ad.

Andy

Granted, at the end of the commerical, he laughed about the possibility of having been kissed by a guy, but still: he didn't seem to happy about it at first. I'd agree with the neutral position, but I'm leaning more towards a neutral/negative, personally.

Rees J. Bennett

I don't think he reacted poorly at all, he was just taken aback a little. After all, in the end, they are ALL standing around smiling and enjoying each other's friendship.

Chris Ollendorf

It upset me that the man reacted so poorly to the thought that anyone but a woman would have kissed him.

Russell

A man who believed in the Baileys commandment "let your senses guide you" might well look perplexed at getting his first smooch from another man, but his senses might guide him to try it again. Who knows where his senses might lead him?

Mario

I don't get why so many people here feel that a straight man has to react positively (or completely neutrally) to the prospect of a kiss on the lips or more intimate contact with a man. Bad reactions to lesser contact is debateable.

It would be different if he had reacted very negatively, but while I wouldn't be very upset about being kissed by a woman, it wouldn't make me happy either (well, I might be flattered, I suppose). A lot of commercials have the men acting like it's the worst thing that could happen - this one just has him acting like it's not what he wanted.

Alex

Oh please.....what straight guy wants to be kissed by a guy to begin with??

Jimmy

Who says the main guy has to be gay? Besides, the kiss obviously came from a girl. The joke was that it was a bunch of friends playing with him. Just because there was a hint at it possibly being a guy, doesn't mean that a joke about it is homophobic. The character was straight and he didn't act disgusted, it was more of a suprise thing (you know...kinda like the punchline to a joke..hmmm)

Related Ads