Select Page

This week America learned that the “Most Interesting Man in the World” will retire. After nine years as the pitchman for Dos Equis, the brand will replace 77-year-old actor Jonathan Goldsmith and go younger with revamped commercials.

While Dos Equis saw a successful run with Goldsmith (growing the number of cases shipped between 2007-2015 by nearly 35%), the brand skated past the usual expiration date for pitchmen in an advertising campaign.

“About six years seems to be where things become wallpaper and require a refresh,” said Darren Marshall, EVP of Consulting and Research at rEvolution. Marshall consults brands on sponsorship and advertising placement in sports, then measures the ROI.

With six years being the sweet spot, we’ll look at the livelihood of three other notable pitchmen…

State Farm recently shifted away from Cliff Paul to new ad spots featuring Chris Paul, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan and Damian Lillard in an epic parody on a family sitcom called “Meet the Hoopers.”

State Farm introduced Cliff Paul in 2012. By halving the typical pitchman shelf life, we’re expecting a return of Cliff Paul in the near future.

Meanwhile, AT&T found gold in 27-year-old Milana Vayntrub with the character Lily. The quirky AT&T customer service rep in recent spots was originally casted in late 2013 for only one commercial.

“We were looking for someone approachable, friendly and relatable,” said Meredith Vincent, AT&T’s director of advertising, in an AdWeek interview. “When the Lily construct became a campaign, we were thrilled to find that Milana has great humor and great range as an actress, which really helps to keep the campaign fresh.”

Expect Lilly to become a mainstay as the AT&T pitchwoman for the years to come.

On the other hand, we’re expecting Flo’s time to come to a close soon. The character was introduced by Progressive Insurance in 2008. Years ago, rumors swirled that Flo could be approaching her time. While she’s pushing the envelope, Flo will go down as a marketing Hall of Famer – but consumer fatigue has certainly set in.