• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, May 5, 2015

Justin Timberlake is summoning up all of his empathy for citrus fruits to play a down-on-his luck lime in a new TV and digital campaign for Sauza 901 tequila.

In addition to his music and acting careers, Timberlake is the founder of 901 (the area code of his hometown, Memphis), which added the "Sauza" to its name after he partnered last year with Beam Suntory, parent of Sauza, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam and other spirits. 

And while he takes the premium tequila business very seriously — involving himself closely in all aspects of the product, including distribution, packaging and marketing — he also knows the value of humor. In fact, Timberlake is the one who proposed the premise for the new campaign, Beam Suntory CMO Kevin George told Fast Company.

In a 30-second TV spot, which begins to air today, he plays an unemployed lime named Rick "Sour" Vane. Vane tells his story in his bathrobe, while sitting near his run-down pool. It seems that he and other limes were once celebrities, living the high life because of their ability to "cut the burn" of tequila. Then smooth-tasting, triple-distilled Sauza 901 came along and made limes obsolete.

Written by  former “Saturday Night Live” writer Paula Pell and directed by the Malloy Brothers, the campaign also includes a long-form video hosted on the brand's Web site and social channels, YouTube and Timberlake's social media channels. A day after being posted, the long video is showing nearly 325,000 views on YouTube.

In addition, Timberlake recorded a one-minute video in which he facetiously apologizes to the lime community and points out that he will continue to use limes "for many culinary purposes" (and indoor putting practice). That video is also viewable on YouTube and Timberlake's and the brand's social channels.