Ad of the Day: Captain Morgan says ‘aye aye’ to fellow captain Rio Ferdinand in swashbuckling new campaign

Diageo rum brand Captain Morgan has enlisted a range of real life captains – including former Manchester United skipper Rio Ferdinand – for a new integrated global ad campaign.

Ferdinand is joined by T20 and One-Day International cricket captain Eoin Morgan (a real-life captain Morgan) in a dark and lively bar, which the drink’s friendly real namesake enters greeting a plethora of captains with a tip of the hat and a welcome of “captain”.

He proceeds to order a round of Captains for the captains, as well as a regular bloke called Dave.

The online version of the ad also features another captain Morgan, Leicester City star Wes Morgan, who was brought on board as a brand ambassador last year.

Created by Anomaly New York and supported on digital by Vayner Media, the campaign launches in the UK today before rolling our globally throughout 2017 and 2018. It will stretch across out of home, social, experiential, on-trade and off-trade, alongside the 30-second spot and online activation.

Captain Morgan hopes for the initiative to convey its humorous brand to a millennial audience ‘hungry for humour and relief from today’s ever increasing pressure to be serious’.

Anita Robinson, category director – vodka, rum, gin and Pimms at Diageo, said: “This ad sees us re-defining what it means to be a captain. Captain Morgan knows that in today’s serious times, fun is essential.  We know that humour connects with our target audience and we expect that our well-loved UK sports stars will ensure the campaign resonates with them and seeds the ‘Captain, Captain’ exchange in bar and beyond.”