As an improbably sculpted man boldly leaps with a steely look of determination off a huge mountain into the unknown, you’d be forgiven for assuming this was a commercial for the latest aftershave.

It is however, the first ever global multi-channel ad campaign for The Macallan. Eschewing the norms of beverage marketing with nary a product or packaging reference in sight, the man continues to plummet ever groundward, struggling against his fate.

As feathers roll across the man’s arms and shoulders, the contemporary Icarus references become clear (albeit with a much happier ending) and the choice to make the original leap is vindicated.

This sense of vindication is key when targeting and attempting to overturn the behaviour of loss aversion. Convincing the audience that taking the chance in a risk/reward scenario is worthwhile can be difficult (potentially also battling against the status quo effect), particularly when launching a premium product.

Here, Macallan have approached this in a grand fashion, with a feel-good inspirational brand ad that bears that challenge on its winged shoulders and comes flying out the other side with a sense of assertion that on some level can only engender goodwill towards the brand and the product.

When you pair this with the bizarreness of being marketed scotch via the medium of ancient Greek myth merged with high production values, at the very least this will make you remember ‘that’ Macallan ad.

For more on the production of this ad ( which included use of motion capture and VR matte paintings) click here.

As an agency, influencing behaviours is core to what we do and applying Behavioural Economics to marketing communications is a natural progression. If you are interested in understanding more about how we do this get in touch now.

Find out more about the connection between consumers and behavioural economics in our latest report on the top trends driving consumer behaviour. Download it here.