Jonathan Goldsmith, best-known for his role as the Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man in the World,’ is now saying he is a tequila drinker.
On Wednesday, Astral Tequila unveiled new advertisements that will feature Goldsmith—who starred as the pitchman for Dos Equis beer for about a decade—instead advocating adult beverage drinkers enjoy tequila. “I told you, I don’t always drink beer,” Goldsmith says in the spot. “Astral Tequila.” In the ad, he notably does not mention Dos Equis by name.
The new role for Goldsmith, who is also an equity partner in Astral Tequila, is reminiscent of the pitchman pivot done by Paul Marcarelli, an actor most known for his Verizon (VZ) “Can you hear me now” ads but last year, he switched to back rival Sprint Nextel (S). In the alcohol beverage world, the switch is between two popular Mexican imports—Goldsmith is ditching beer for a spirit.
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Both have been performing exceptionally well of late, as Mexican imports resonate with the increasing Hispanic population in the United States and as other non-Hispanic beverage drinkers enjoy more beverages beyond the legacy brands they are used to. Mexican beer consumption grew by 6% last year, while it increased 7.4% for tequila, the nation’s most popular home spirit.
Hiring Goldsmith is almost certainly a big win for New York-based Davos Brands, which also owns the TYKU sake and Aviation American gin brands but remains a very small player in a spirits industry dominated by giants like Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and Beam Suntory. In March, Davos also acquired a controlling interest in both Astral and Sombra Mezcal. The spirits maker had previously managed both brands since 2015, helping oversee national distribution and triple-digit growth.
Goldsmith became available because last year, Dos Equis’ owner Heineken decided to relaunch the “Most Interesting Man in the World” with a new, younger actor. Goldsmith’s successor, Augustin Legrand, is over 30 years younger and was hired to help the brand appeal with millennials. Some have speculated the switch wasn’t well received by younger millennial drinkers, though Heineken disputes that notion.
When Davos Brands was asked about the advertising plan for the tequila ads featuring Goldsmith, it said details about the campaign weren’t yet being disclosed. As such, it is not yet determined where these ads will appear beyond social channels. In Heinken’s annual report earlier this year, the brewer said the new “Most Interesting Man in the World” spots had generated over three billion impressions across media channels.
