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21Seeds Taps Into Millennial Nostalgia With The O.C.
Share a toast with Summer Roberts
Rachel Bilson reprises her role as The O.C.’s Summer Roberts to whip up cocktails in new spots for infused tequila brand 21Seeds.
“We wanted to make a splash this summer with a fun, buzzy campaign,” says 21Seeds brand director Adrienne Cuschieri.
Themed “Serving Summer,” the work taps into nostalgia for the beloved Fox series about a group of teens living in tony Newport Beach, Calif.
“Fans of The O.C. have long requested a revival,” Cuschieri points out. “And when we realized the iconic show was celebrating its 21st birthday, it was a no-brainer to partner.”
The brand worked with Fake Empire, a production company founded by The O.C. executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, to create the spots (in partnership with Kimmelot Labs and Starpower).
The project marks Fake Empire’s first foray into the advertising space and the first time The O.C. has partnered with a brand in this way, Schwartz tells Muse.
“We did product integrations when the show was on,” he recalls. “I believe there was a LeSportsac brand partnership. But by the time the Marissa bag came out… it was after the character was no longer on the show. And we threw our weight behind Star Wars prequel Revenge of the Sith in order to lock in a George Lucas cameo in season two.”
21Seeds makes a good fit for The O.C. because “Summer Roberts, as an adult, would be a 21Seeds drinker,” Savage says. “Both are clever and confident and love an easy-to-make, delicious cocktail. Tying that together with it being the show’s 21st birthday, it just felt right, especially once we learned the tagline for the campaign was ’21Seeds Serves Summer.’ We were like, ‘We know a Summer!'”
Anna Mastro directed the ads. Each spot features Easter eggs that fans of The O.C. will pick up on. (Your eyes will go right to the choker worn by the bad boy who shows up at Summer’s door in one of the ads.)
Mastro knows the show intimately, by the way. She began her career as Schwartz and Savage’s assistant on The O.C. pilot.
