Funny, down-to-earth, Irish… comedian Aisling Bea is a great hire for whiskey brand Jameson, which has put her front and centre in its new masterbrand campaign.

The ‘Widen the Circle’ push is based on the idea of expanding one’s real-life social connections – and meeting new people over a drink is indeed an appealing proposition, especially right now. It could be a bit better communicated in this ad, however.

“We’ve all picked up a few ‘how did I get here’ stories,” Bea’s narration begins, showing a couple of bored-looking blokes starved of conversation by their phone-gazing peers. They pal up (or were they already mates?) and join some other folks. Then we see one of them delivering a stand-up show to the amusement of one punter, while the other dances ‘quirkily’ at a music festival.

Then we cut to Bea in the bar, making friends with a totally different group.

The social ‘spark’ message is solid – but this is a bit confusing.

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