• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 1, 2013

Following its multi-year campaign featuring "The Sopranos"'s Michael Imperioli, 1800 Tequila's new "Enough Said" campaign stars Ray Liotta of "Goodfellas" fame.

Liotta seems a natural successor, given that the Proximo Spirits brand proudly describes itself as "The Tough Guy Tequila."

The new, international campaign – the first work for the brand from The VIA Agency (Portland, Maine) – includes three 60-second TV spots and one 15-second spot. The ads began airing broadly on Oct. 30.

All show Liotta in exotic locations shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina — a train station, a busy intersection, a boxing match, a rustic bar — and all have the actor saying nothing but the brand's name, with the ending message: "Enough Said."

In the first spot, dubbed "Them Boots," Liotta orders the spirit and manages, simply through his ultra-cool demeanor and penetrating gaze, to intimidate two other guys at the bar who were (up till then) planning to enjoy cocktails garnished with cherries. Observing their discomfort, Liotta raises his glass and emits his trademark goodfella cackle.

The underlying message: "While [other tequila brands] bloviate about craftsmanship and tangential issues such as bottle design and the planting of their fields, 1800 Tequila doesn’t feel the need to say all that it is, because for those who drink it, it speaks for itself,” summed up VIA chief creative officer Greg Smith.

The noir-ishly lit ads were directed by Anthony Mandler, known for his music videos for Rihanna and many other artists and commercials for Nike, Ciroc and other brands.  

The campaign will also include complementary out-of-home ads in New York, San Francisco and other major U.S. cities starting next April. Digital elements include banner ads and digital takeovers on sports sites.