The company will air new versions of its many famous ad campaigns, including the long-running Rutger Hauer work created by Ogilvy & Mather in the mid-80s.
The 'Blade Runner' actor, who fronted the long-running "Man with the Guinness" campaign (spanning seven years and 21 executions), will be one of several stars revisited in a new campaign by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO for Guinness Extra Cold.
"Surfer", created by AMV, is also expected to be brought back to life in the ads.
The decision comes at a difficult time for the Diageo brand, which saw its sales decline by 3% in the second half of 2003, and has struggled to maintain its advertising heritage. It turned down repeated creative ideas from AMV before commissioning the TV spot "moth". Backed by a £6m budget, "moth" introduced the endline "out of darkness comes light", in a bid to appeal to the youth market.
Despite the surreal, and often confusing, nature of the Hauer campaign, it appealed to young and old drinkers and was some of the most successful work for the brand ever.
A Diageo spokesman said: "The options we are looking at involve paying homage to some iconic ads from the past and giving them a twist to make them relevant to the Extra Cold."
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