Stella Artois partners with Netflix on The Gentlemen

The campaign is built around the idea that serving a Stella Artois is a five-step ritual and a power play

Stella Artois and Netflix are partnering around the second season of The Gentlemen, bringing the premium beer brand into the series’ world through a global campaign featuring Theo James and Stella Artois ambassador David Beckham.

Called The Gentlemen’s Serve, the partnership is the first brand collaboration for the series and the first multi-market activation between Netflix and AB InBev. It will run across the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.

Stella Artois builds campaign around serving ritual

Developed by creative agency GUT Amsterdam with Netflix Brand Studio, the campaign is built around the idea that serving a Stella Artois is a five-step ritual and a power play.

The campaign’s hero film, The Auction, features James, who plays Eddie Horniman in the series, alongside Beckham. A series of shorter films explores the brand’s five-step pouring ritual: The Clean-Up, The Sacrifice, The Angle, The Cut and The Judgement.

Theo James and David Beckham lead activation

Theo James: “The Gentlemen deals with rituals of aristocracy at the highest stakes and partnering with Stella Artois — a brand internationally recognized for its commitment to excellence and taste — allows us to bring that to life in a whole new way. The partnership feels authentic to the story in a way that fans of the show will enjoy. Delicious.”

The campaign extends beyond the series through social content on Netflix and Stella Artois’ owned platforms, experiential activity in selected markets and limited-edition chalices.

Campaign extends beyond Netflix series

Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev: “Stylish, elevated, great taste – attributes of the world’s most premium beer and one of the most successful and widely anticipated shows on Netflix. The Gentlemen is a natural fit to showcase Stella Artois’ brewing heritage and iconic pouring ritual, and to have Theo James and David Beckham connect those worlds is a treat for fans everywhere.”

To mark the campaign, Netflix and Stella Artois are partnering with global branding agency JKR to take over The Marlborough in London from 3 to 5 September. The activation will recreate elements of the world of The Gentlemen, with visitors able to order a Stella Artois, experience The Gentlemen’s Serve and enter for limited-edition merchandise, including personalised chalices.

Netflix and AB InBev expand partnership

Magno Herran, VP of Global Brand & Marketing Partnerships, Netflix: “The Gentlemen has a fan base that loves the world Guy Ritchie built – the style, the stakes, the swagger – and Stella Artois plays a meaningful role within it because it is a brand built on precision and ritual that fits in effortlessly. This campaign is a true piece of entertainment, and it fuels the appetite of fans well beyond the screen, allowing them to experience the show in their everyday lives. It’s the kind of collaboration that makes both the show and the brand richer.”

The Gentlemen’s Serve is part of a global, multi-year partnership between AB InBev and Netflix. The second season of The Gentlemen will debut on Netflix on 3 September.

www.netflix.com

www.stellaartois.com

Follow Marketing Report on LinkedIn