Irish lager and cider brand Rockshore has enlisted former Boyzone band member Ronan Keating for a witty take on what the Irish call St. Stephen’s Day (or Boxing Day, as it’s more commonly known).
The carolling number sees Keating, 46, paired with the brand’s ambassador – a fella by the name of Rocko – duetting to a comic version of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”.
According to research by the Diageo-owned brand, Irish people rank St. Stephen’s Day as the best festive day to catch up with friends for a pint.
The findings revealed that 48 per cent of adults rank St. Stephen’s Day and Christmas Eve above Christmas Day as the top days for celebrations over the holidays. Added to this, one in four people said they would rather do all of the Christmas tidying up than miss Stephen’s Day pints with their mates.
The ad, which is part of the brand’s “Refreshingly Irish” campaign, will run across television, video-on-demand as well as social media and radio and will be supported by out-of-home advertising.
Speaking about the promotion, Keating said: “There really is no better place than Ireland and it’s always lovely to come back, especially to celebrate St. Stephen’s Day and what it represents – getting back together with all your mates and enjoying a drink in your favourite pub, catching up and having banter over a pint like only close mates can.”
Diageo Ireland head of beer, Linda Bradley, added: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with Ronan Keating to bring some refreshment to the festive season with our first-ever Christmas advert. We want to celebrate that affectionate banter that comes to life between best friends on the most refreshing day for a beer, St Stephen’s Day.”
