South African Breweries brand Castle Lite this week confirmed that the star of its new advertising campaign is the real pop culture icon Vanilla Ice. The reiteration follows several weeks of speculation about a doppelganger star as the brand launched its largest campaign in several years.

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"It is, without doubt, the real Vanilla Ice," says brand manager Jean-ette Boshoff, refuting rumour mongering.

"The commercial was created to showcase Castle Lite's new packaging refreshment with the inclusion of the innovative temperature sensitive indicator that shows optimal enjoyment temperature. Use of the international pop culture icon, along with the legendary soundtrack in the ad, added much fuel to our campaign."

Boshoff adds that while it is a rarity for South African brands to use international stars in commercials, there is no reason to doubt Vanilla's authenticity.

Celebrities attached to brands

"Conceptually the leverage of an iconic star and soundtrack slots in with, what we consider, to be an unparalleled innovation in beverage enjoyment."

She adds that such tactical leverage of celebrity may become more commonplace.

"Globally the association of brands with stars has grown significantly over the past couple of decades. South Africa is no exception with many local celebrities presently attached to brands ranging from beauty products to sporting equipment. Castle Lite, among a few brands, elected to take this one step further."

Sales of Castle Lite, since launch of the campaign, have rocketed. Boshoff says that demand has grown substantially with consumer feedback on the temperature indication innovation positive.

Campaign exceeded expectations

"The campaign has exceeded our expectations with sales through retail and hospitality climbing northward while consumer response has been overwhelmingly positive."

Boshoff says that she should not be surprised to see an acceleration of celebrity endorsement tactics.

"Using celebrity in a campaign adds nuance to a product or brand that cannot be achieved through different means. For us, the marriage of an iconic star, soundtrack, brand and product innovation has thus far proved immensely successful."

Check out page two for some local beer ads and vote for your favourite.

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