Matthew McConaughey giggles over Wild Turkey Longbranch in ad he also directed

Matthew McConaughey is back in his role as creative director for Wild Turkey, this time in an ad for its spin-off bourbon brand, Longbranch. This time, the actor sits in a field drinking Longbranch and reflects laconically on how a "what if?" scenario led to its creation. McConaughey directed himself in the spots and comes across super-relaxed, including in a 15-second version (above) in which he signs off with a gleeful giggle. "What if Kentucky took a road trip to Texas and introduced their eight year old juice to some Mesquite?" he asks in the hero spot, in which he tells a whimsical tale about the creation of Longbranch. Longbranch was co-created by McConaughey together with Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell. “Matthew and Eddie are a formidable pair—one an expert on branding, creativity and culture and the other a maestro of bourbon distilling with decades of experience crafting some of the world’s finest whiskey. Together, they reimagined traditional Kentucky bourbon with a Texas twist to bring Longbranch to life—what Matthew calls his favorite bourbon on the planet,” said Julka Villa, global managing director of the Campari Group, in a statement. “This campaign, like Longbranch, is grounded in its roots and asks us to dare to discover what happens when we move beyond curiosity, into action.” McConaughey threw himself into creating the ad under pandemic conditions: The ads feature spare set-ups, shot with minimal equipment in a remote location. As well as self-directing, McConaughey worked virtually with AKQA on the editing process. The campaign will run on digital and social media channels in the United States and in select global markets; there's also an Instagram handle for Longbranch that will feature cocktail recipes, a Longbranch dictionary and animated videos.

Matthew McConaughey giggles over Wild Turkey Longbranch in ad he also directed

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