It's Maad - Red Stripe | Clapboard Ad Archive

Red Stripe’s 2023 campaign It’s Maad, developed by Third Ear in the United States, steps boldly into the ready-to-drink rum-based beverage space with a clear intention to channel the brand’s Jamaican roots through contemporary storytelling that celebrates the vibrancy of Caribbean-American culture. Anchored in Brooklyn and Miami—two epicenters of Caribbean diaspora and creative energy—the campaign trades on the dynamism of these communities by casting local artists, makers, and creatives as living embodiments of Red Stripe’s new Rum Punch and Mojito products, positioning the drinks not simply as beverages but as cultural signifiers within a richly layered identity narrative. Rather than relying on overt product demonstration or constructed story arcs, Third Ear’s creative approach foregrounds authentic user imagery—an execution that sits squarely in Clapboard’s FORMAT#10—Associated User Imagery, a device that builds credibility by placing relatable and aspirational community members at the heart of the visual and narrative landscape. In a market where major rum brands like Bacardi, Captain Morgan, and Malibu have historically leaned into their Caribbean associations through either broad-brush notions of fun, heritage, or tropical escapism, Red Stripe differentiates itself by investing in hyper-local authenticity and the lived experiences of the urban Caribbean-American audience, effectively leveraging cultural pride and shared identity as key purchase motivators. The 360° media strategy, anchored by film, produced a single hero asset that generated over 2.5 million views—an indicator that the campaign’s message and creative resonance broke through in a crowded food and drink category increasingly defined by claims of authenticity. With the new Red Stripe rum drinks positioned in direct conversation with influential user groups, the campaign pivots the brand from its familiar lager territory into a ready-to-drink segment that prizes both convenience and cultural relevance. Clapboard rates this 63/100. For an industry saturated with category clichés and surface-level island tropes, It’s Maad is notable because it translates a heritage brand’s origin story into a living, breathing narrative powered by the communities who define its future.