Pour One Out for Dawson.
A Friday newsletter that is putting its cheeks in a Beek one last time.
Dear Marketers, this one's for the ones who know the difference between selling out and buying in.
The Beek.Vander Memes. JVDB. VDB. Dawson. This was one of the real ones. The thing I liked about James Van Der Beek who passed after a battle with cancer this week, was that he had no problems ever being in on the joke, or the butt of it. He understood the assignment that only comes with being the first result for crying meme GIFs.
Let’s start with a ridiculous black and white Belvedere Vodka ad with the best ending line of an ad I’ve seen, “When was the last time you fought AIDS.”
The man just knew what to do when he got a job. And often it was playing with that leftover Dawson’s celebrity status and turning that into a larger than life persona he used over and over again. Whether for Kevin Smith in his movies like Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back - or 18 years later the Reboot.
Or on Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 where he played the move over the top version of himself and his Beek Jeans. You can’t un-hear the line, “Put your cheeks in a Beek.” He seemed to thrive on that. And don’t sleep on deep cuts from the VDB catalogue like Rules of Attraction.
That larger than life, I’m a bigger celebrity than I really am played hard. He would even do his best sentimental Dawson for regional H-E-B grocery store ads in Texas or just go all in for the brand on spots during the holidays in his new state.
The send up of that persona is personified by him being on call at a car dealership to deliver drama on demand. Genius.
Most people will remember James Van Der Beek for Dawson's Creek. Some for Mox from Varsity Blues. The real ones will remember him for anytime he played the most gloriously delusional version of himself. At The Drink Cart we remember that work, especially the ads.
Because the guy had a quietly great career in commercials that nobody's really talking about. He never took himself too seriously but he always took the work seriously.
That's a rare thing in celebrity advertising. Most actors either phone it in or try to pretend they're above it. Van Der Beek leaned all the way in and made every brand better for it. He knew the difference between selling out and buying in. So pour one out for the Beek, then do this shot and get back to your stupid little time sheet.
THE WOO WOO
1 oz vodka
1 oz peach schnapps
1 oz cranberry juice
Shake with ice, strain into a shot glass. That’s it.
Here’s the thing about this shot. It’s really a cocktail. And AI had me convinced that there was some episode of Dawson’s Creek where Pacey and Dawson got way too drunk on Woo Woos. “Okay so I have to be straight with you,” said Claude. “There's no real connection between the Woo Woo and Dawson's Creek. I was reaching. That's on me.”
But it sounded so credible.
The truth is the shot, is the distant cousin of the Sex on the Beach and the Fuzzy Navel. Also cocktails. Originated in New York in the 70s, became a thing during the 80s and really lost its lustre right as Dawson’s Creek was mid run before they went off to college.
Get this. The full name is apparently the “Teeny Weeny Woo Woo” which is absurd and kind of perfect.
So the connection isn’t to the show, it’s to the era. If you want a shot that feels like 1998 tastes, this is it.
Vintage Valentine’s Day Advertising
Trying to figure out which of these three ads speak to me more. I’m not even sure I understand what is happening with this Seagram’s ad other than the 5 Crowns tracking down someone with arrows.
I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Amaretto, but claiming it as “the original drink of love' is pretty rich given it tastes like liquid marzipan.
Meanwhile of course Johnnie Walker Red used to drop Valentine’s Day ads in Playboy. And then made them to ask the whole world to be their Valentine. A bit desperate.
The Drink Cart Friday Shot is your late Friday pick-me-up for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A fast pour of ad insights and hot takes, served like a quick round at your favourite dive bar after a week of client feedback.