• Ad Age, Monday, September 21, 2009 10:48 AM

New ads for liquor brands such as Ketel One, Chivas Regal, and 1800 Tequila celebrate the "no-nonsense, pre-metrosexual glory of the 'Mad Men' era," writes Jeremy Mullman. That also would be before the current recession, which has put a damper on pink cocktails of the "Sex and the City" era.

"It's a reaction to the pink cosmos as much as anything," confirms Dan Fietsam, chief creative officer at Energy BBDO. Not coincidentally, his agency created the "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It" platform for Canadian Club and "Guys Never Change" campaign for Jim Beam.

Add to that the Chivas Regal ads out of Euro RSCG, London, that urge men to live by a "code of chivalry," as well as the 1800 Tequila ads featuring "Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli. In one spot, Imperioli declares: "These days, it's all velvet ropes and posturing. I don't know about you, but when I drink it, I really like to kick back and be myself." His feet then send a bottle of Patron tequila sprawling.

The notion that "timeless masculinity is comforting during unstable times" underlies four trends that Mullman outlines. "The idea that there's a fundamental guy-ness that doesn't change is really appealing during a period when it feels like everything is changing," according to Fietsam.

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