Malibu, the rum-based coconut liqueur owned by Pernod Ricard, is encouraging workers around the UK – and overseas – to take more time for themselves this summer as part of a new campaign.
A new advert, titled ‘Clock Off’, features Succession star Brian Cox as an office executive stuck in a meeting as the clock strikes 5pm.
Coming to his senses, he ‘clocks off’, choosing instead to skate his way to the beach, where he can chill out and enjoy a Malibu Pina Colada.
He even takes time to ignore an after-hours work call – dropping his ringing phone into a nearby ice bucket.
While the new advert takes a light-hearted approach to the subject matter, Pernod Ricard has said the inspiration was drawn from a very serious real-life issue.
Quoting a recent study by research company One Poll, the company said almost a third of UK workers feel pressured to work beyond their contracted hours, with one in four expected to work unpaid overtime and more than one in ten feeling they have a bad work/life balance.
One in five respondents to One Poll’s study said they felt overworked, and one in three British respondents admitted to working while on annual leave.
The pressure was felt most keenly by members of Gen Z, with members of this age group clocking up on average two additional hours of unpaid overtime every week – translating to an extra day of work every month.
Nearly half of Gen Z respondents (45%) felt pressure to work beyond their contracted hours – compared to only 20% of boomers – with more than one in ten (12%) saying they feared they would be made redundant if they didn’t work overtime.
However Gen Z didn’t have a monopoly on the misery.
Millennials came out of the research as the age group that feels the most overworked, with more than one in five millennials (21%) describing themselves that way to researchers.
Pernod Ricard launched the new campaign with an activation in London, where passers-by were encouraged to zip their phones into watertight bags and then toss them into Malibu’s ‘Clock Off Fountain’ in order to free themselves from the onslaught of emails and text messages.
They were then encouraged to enjoy a complimentary Malibu Pina Colada in peace.
Alison Perrottet, brand director for Pernod Ricard UK, said: “Our mission is to make Malibu synonymous with summer and as we all start to experience longer evenings and more sunshine, we’re reminding everyone of what’s important… Clocking Off!
“This is just the start of a whole host of activities we have planned throughout the summer months as part of the number one coconut rum in the UK’s ‘Do whatever tastes good platform’.”
