When Diet Coke last month revealed it had hired Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan as its brand ambassador, a return to its voyeuristic ads of the 1990s seemed implicit.

However, its latest campaign defies expectations insofar as the model-turned-actor keeps his kit on for once. The ad shows Dornan taking a dip in his local lido – dressed in a full-length wetsuit, rather than budgie smugglers – as he ponders what “taste” means to people.

“It’s different strokes for different folks,” he says. “Horses for courses.” Dornan’s voiceover accompanies footage of a drag queen applying make-up on the bus, then a chef serving up his own avant-garde take on egg, chips and beans in a local greasy spoon – both of whom sip on Diet Coke to fuel their creativity.

“A matter of taste. Whatever floats your boat,” says Dornan, unfazed, as he floats across the pool on an inflatable unicorn.

Fifty Shades fans might be disappointed to see less of Dornan than they hoped to, but the ad’s inclusive message is likely to appeal to a new generation of Diet Coke drinkers.

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