In May, the drinks giant said it would move its advertising business to Publicis Worldwide, part of Publicis Groupe, which already handled the Beefeater gin, Sauza tequila and Stolichnaya vodka accounts. The move triggered the sale of Cordiant to the WPP Group and the subsequent closure of Bates UK.
For the new 拢6m cinema and television campaign, Malibu is sticking with the successful "seriously easy going" theme that was originally created by Lowe in 1999.
The campaign is set in the Caribbean, and sends up the obsession with mobile phones, including the irritation with novelty mobile ringtones and the annoyance with losing a signal. It ends with the line: "Seriously easy going".
The situations are made more ridiculous by the fact that they take place in the Caribbean -- famed for having a more laid-back pace of life. Each ad will end by directing viewers to a dedicated website.
Jeremy Hill, senior brand manager for Malibu at Allied Domecq, said: "Building on the success of previous Malibu advertising, this new execution reinforces the brand's 'seriously easy going' personality while providing consumers with not only a source of light relief, but also a reminder that we shouldn't get stressed about things that don't really matter."
The ads were created by art director Malcolm Gaskin and copywriter Andy Imrie, who were working for Bates UK at the time. They have since shifted to Publicis. The ad was directed and produced by Traktor.
The campaign breaks in cinemas on October 10 and on television a month later.
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