Ricky Gervais has taken over a prominent billboard in Slough for his latest creative effort to promote his Vodka brand, Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka.
The out-of-home advert marks a first for the brand, and continues Gervais’ belief in honest advertising, encouraging consumers to buy Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka to make “a person rich & happy”, with the caveat being “that person is Ricky Gervais”.
The advert, originally posted on Gervais’ Instagram last week, shows the comedian and brand Co-Owner in black-and-white, enjoying a neat glass of Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka.
The post continues his streak of down-to-earth, un-traditional and unserious promotion for his brand, and following a series of honest adverts posted by Gervais on social media, this activation sees Ellers Farm Distillery go one step further in launching their media buying strategy.
As the iconic home of The Office, the brand’s authentic approach to OOH advertisements sees Gervais return to the commuter town of Slough 10 years after the series ended.
Speaking on the novel OOH launch, Ellers Farm Distillery’s chief marketing officer Ross Haddow said: “Since bringing Ricky onto the Dutch Barn team, we have been committed to his vision of un-traditional, honest advertising, and our authentic approach to media buying is no exception.
“As an independent B Corp brand we’re already doing vodka differently, and that means we do advertising differently too. While Slough might not be the traditional choice for a billboard debut, it was the only place we wanted to launch our first OOH advert.”
Ricky Gervais became co-owner of Ellers Farm Distillery in November 2023, with Founder Chris Fraser distancing the authentic partnership from traditional “hollow celebrity cash-for-face brand endorsement deals” in the initial announcement. In recent months he has become known for delighting his following with short, funny spots on social media to promote Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka, the Distillery’s leading product, in ways that subvert the category norms and rules – staying true to the brand’s ethos of ‘Vodka done differently’.
Based in the heart of North Yorkshire, Ellers Farm Distillery launched the award-winning Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka in 2022 to offer drinkers the opportunity to rediscover vodka. A uniquely distilled liquid that is handcrafted from British apples and tasted every 20 minutes during the unique distillation process, Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka’s mission is to showcase the quality and versatility of vodka to modern spirits drinkers.
The company gained B Corp status in September 2023 and implements sustainable production practices throughout the Distillery, including sourcing its distinctive brown glass bottles that contain more recycled materials and protect the liquid inside from a producer in Yorkshire.
