We think this ad for Fernet Branca, an Italian amaro or “bitter” made of herbs and spices, that is usually served as a digestif after a meal but may also be served with coffee and espresso or mixed into coffee and espresso drinks.
The text atop the bottle reads, “This could have been an ad for sexy lingerie, but we bought the space first.” Below the bottle, in smaller type, it says, “Life is Bitter.”
Here at the compound, we love amari or bitters, but recognize that they’re an acquired taste. In an article in the Atlantic Monthly, Wayne Curtis described the process of learning to enjoy these quintessentially Italian drinks:
Your first sip of Fernet Branca, an Italian liqueur, will be akin to waking up in a foreign country and finding a crowd of people arguing in agitated, thorny voices outside your hotel window. It’s an event that’s at once alarming and slightly thrilling, and leaves you wanting to know more.
You can read the rest of his article here, in which he details a visit to the Fernet Branca factory and describes the drink as “the taste of a time that’s long since passed us by.” Time is not passing by Fernet Branca’s ad executives, however, who seem to be keeping up with the times just fine.
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Copenhagen, Denmark
Copywriter: Mikkel Elung-Jensen
Art Director: Claus Collstrup
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