Ads for Ketel One, Crown Royal and Chivas Regal Seem to Be Torn From Same Playbook

Is it just me, or are the ad campaigns for Ketel One, Crown Royal and Chivas Regal all essentially identical? They all feature men in their 30s who live by some sort of unstated guys' code. Sure, the ads are all "different," but they all seem to have been shot from the same brief: Give us something to appeal to aspirant investment-banker types who think they live by a vanishing frat-tastic honor code. And shoot it with a lot of night scenes and heavy shadow.

The Chivas Regal ad (by Euro RSCG Worldwide) says there's "a code of behavior that sets certain men apart," and the Ketel One commercial (by Grey New York) adds, "there was a time when men were men." The Crown Royal spot (also by Grey) is a little different but stylistically could be edited to fit either of the other brands.

Compare and contrast: