Bravado Living

It seems like advertisers are recognizing a new era of masculine identity. Long gone is the mass appeal of shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and instead have focused on the resurgence of rugged outback. America has traded in its idolizations from the boyish Spiderman, to the lumberjack Wolverine.

Paul Walker to Jason Stratham.

This subtle shift in culture over the past couple of years is being reflected in everyday culture, most notably how advertisers try and target the male demographic.

Old Spice has come out with commercials showing wimps turning into men

Mitchum Man has used a clever campaign littered with matching, borderline sexist, slogans like: “If they look real enough, you’re a Mitchum Man,” “If you still order your coffee Small, Medium, or Large, you’re a Mitchum Man,” “If your socks kind of match, you’re a Mitchum Man.”

Typical Mitchum Man Ad

One shift that has been particularly pronounced has been liquor commercials. Grey Goose commercials showing scantily clad women partying have been replaced by Ketel One commercials emphasizing male bonding. A girl dancing in a club for Beck’s, to the “Most Interesting Man in the World.” In fact, the majority of new commercials coming from liquor distributors have not featured women at all. They’ve centered around the relationships men have with their friends, their fathers, and their ego.

So without further ado the Top 5 Liquor commercials of this era:

5.)

A father-son relationship emblazoned.  Can’t get better then that. We’ll excuse the poetry.

4.)

Although this commercial breaks the mold, and does have women in it, the focus is on being a gentlemen, and not being a pig. We like the simplicity, admiration, and the subtle plug for drinking responsibly. Very well done.

3.)

You really have to watch this one twice, because the jazz overpowers the message. “It took him 12 years to get the gig in this joint, and now he’s been headlining for 25″ We love the mentor, protege, relationship in this one. Truly phenomenal.

2.)

We have shivers down our spine.

1.)

A little predictable we know, and beer is technically not liquor, but you can’t deny the alarming success of this campaign. He exudes masculinity, and probably has never even heard of the term metrosexual. It captures the essence the advertisers were trying to employ perfectly. Blends the perfect amount of humor and message. It is for this reason, we consider “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” the top liquor commercial of this era.

Feel like we’re missing a commercial? Let us know, we’d love to keep this list updated.