Two of the AFL’s most popular players, Bailey Smith and Charlie Curnow, have swapped the Sherrin for an acting stint on a TV advertisement to launch the new Cherry Vanilla Cola from Barry – a low-carb alcoholic beverage brand they co-founded with Collingwood stars, Nick and Josh Daicos. Coinciding with the AFL finals, the ad is a playful parody of the infamous (and at the time controversial) ‘Five Cougars, Thanks’ campaign for Cougar Bourbon which first aired in September 2001. This time round, it’s been contemporised with a female lead, and it’s Smith who plays the ‘himbo’ bartender whose physical appearance and flowing blonde locks beguile the customer into a snap rethink of their drink order. “The campaign encapsulates what the Barry brand is all about – being fun, in the moment and a bit provocative – and it connects with our target audience through humour and cultural nostalgia,” Smith said. “We’re really excited about Barry’s debut in the dark spirit RTD space with the whisky-based Cherry Vanilla Cola which will sit alongside our ranges of vodka- and agave-based sodas with punchy fruit flavours.