Move over George Clooney and Hugh Jackman. The coffee world has a new spokes-celebrity. Today, Italian appliance brand De’Longhi, which produces a range of espresso machines, debuts its first global campaign starring Brad Pitt.

The A-list actor and producer appears in the brand’s new film directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle, best known for his work on “La La Land” and “Whiplash.” The ad, created out of MC Saatchi Milan, follows Pitt on his quiet daily routine in Los Angeles. He gets on his motorcycle, drops by a local coffee shop for a bag of beans, fills up at the gas station, cruises down Pacific Coast Highway and then settles in at home with a foaming espresso beverage (directly from his De’Longhi machine). It’s at that moment that he finally says a single word, “Perfetto.” (The brevity contrasts with Pitt’s ad for Chanel No. 5 from 2012, in which he delivered a head-scratching soliloquy that inspired laughs and parodies.)

Stephanie D’Introno, communications manager, De’Longhi North America, tells Ad Age that in Pitt they found someone who “has global appeal but with understated elegance. We found a lot of synergies aligned such as his passion for design, architecture, craftsmanship and most of all, coffee. Plus, he is a fan of our brand. He strikes a great balance of sophistication and approachability that fits well with the De’Longhi brand worldwide.” The partnership with Pitt is a multiyear deal, she adds. 

The campaign, the De’Longhi’s biggest-to-date for a global audience, bows at a peak moment for the brand. D’Introno says that in the U.S., De’Longhi has seen year-over-year growth, and over the past year during the pandemic, “we have seen consumers worldwide recognize the importance of an authentic coffee experience at home.”

To create the film, De’Longhi and MC Saatchi tapped the Oscar-winning “dream team” from the film “La La Land.” Chazelle directed, Linus Sandgren served as cinematographer and composer Justin Hurwitz created an original soundtrack, a whistling, breezy tune that matches the spot’s easy, atmospheric vibe. Photographer Lachlan Bailey captured the campaign’s imagery. “We looked to partner with someone who could creatively elevate our brand with a cinematic approach, rather than a traditional ad campaign,” says D’Introno. 
 

The film highlights a specific product, the fully automatic, bean-to-cup espresso machine, the Dinamica Plus, but also aims to illustrate the De’Longhi brand platform introduced in 2020, “Espresso Made Right.” 

The campaign will be running on broadcast, connected TV, out-of-home, social and digital. Current Global was behind the PR activation, with media planning via Wavemaker and creative adaptation by The Woo.

Pitt is just the latest Hollywood star to back a coffee brand. George Clooney has 15 years on Pitt in the coffee world, having served as the face of Nespresso since 2006. Hugh Jackman also has his own coffee company, Laughing Man, which he’s advertised in hilarious, out-of-the-box campaigns created with Ryan Reynolds and Reynolds’ agency Maximum Effort.