Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves' ‘provocative’ pantless ad for tequila brand is a ‘witty move’: expert

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have once again made headlines with their pantless ad campaign for their organic tequila brand, Pantalones. 

In May, the 55-year-old actor and the 41-year-old model, who co-founded Pantalones in October 2023, announced that moving forward, they would be going pants-free in all the ads for their brand. Since then, the husband and wife duo have been featured in ads playing pickleball and croquet, mowing the lawn and sunbathing sans pants with the bottom halves of their bodies blurred. 

In their latest ad, they recreated McConaughey and Kate Hudson's famous poster for their 2003 romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Camila wore a copy of Hudson's yellow silk dress while McConaughey wore a suit jacket and dress shirt but went bottomless in their "How to Lose Your Pants in 10 Ways" ad. 

Doug Eldridge, the founder of Achilles PR, described the couple's no-pants campaign as "incredibly effective."

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, WIFE CAMILA PLAY PICKLEBALL PANTLESS

"First of all, it's a subtle wink to the audience," Eldridge told FOX Business. "'Pantalones' means 'pants' in Spanish, so the fact that they're going pantless is a witty move right out of the gates."

He continued, "Second, nudity, when tastefully done, is always a provocative concept, but when it features a former People Magazine 'Sexiest Man Alive' in the campaign, it takes it to a whole other level." 

"But there's also another layer to this: McConaughey has never taken himself seriously, much less too seriously," Eldridge added. "In fact, male and female fans alike view him as one of the most universally likable, grounded, and relatable celebrities in Hollywood. To me, this is somewhat similar to the Mint Mobile ads with Ryan Reynolds, where he breaks the third wall and mocks himself, while promoting the affordable cell phone service. 

"All the variables are there: heartthrob, humor, humility. The days of self-important celebrities are quickly coming to a close."

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A part of the campaign, Pantalones also includes recipes for specially named tequila cocktails with cheeky references to each ad. For the "How to Lose Your Pants in 10 Ways" ad, the Pantalones website featured recipes for ten drinks with names inspired by the hit movie. The "Love Fern" is named after the potted plant that Hudson's character Andie Anderson gives McConaughey's Benjamin Barry to represent their love.

Another cocktail, "You're So Vain," refers to the Carly Simon song that Andie and Ben sing while confronting each other in a karaoke scene. The "Yellow Dress" was named after Andie's golden-hued gown, which became one of the rom-com's genre's most iconic costumes. 

Eldridge told FOX Business that McConaughey and Alves' decision to spoof the poster for one of the Oscar winner's most memorable movies was a "brilliant move."

"Prior to McConaughey's pivot to more serious roles ('Interstellar' and ‘Dallas Buyers Club’), he was the beefcake king of the rom-com genre," the expert said. "While his role in ‘Dazed and Confused’ was really his break-out moment, this movie was arguably the vehicle that accelerated his appeal, especially among female fans." 

"That said, by starring with his wife in this ad campaign, they are clearly targeting both male and female consumers, which is significant," Eldridge continued. "By contrast, when MMA star Connor McGregor launched his whiskey line, it was almost singularly focused on attracting male, twenty-something, meat-eating, MMA-watching consumers." 

"McCounaughey is smart to take this tack when promoting his brand; it's in-line with his sense of humor and self-deprecation, while giving a not-so-subtle wink to his enduring sex appeal."

While the couple's pants-free Pantalones ads have been very effective in getting media coverage, Eldridge said that they also "absolutely" help drive sales.

"Brands never want to be the 'best kept secret that nobody's heard of.' Marketing and public relations are two distinct but complementary variables in the brand-building equation," he explained. "That said, the order of variables remains consistent: exposure garners eyeballs; eyeballs create interest; interest drives engagement; engagement determines investment (sales)." 

"Despite the 'aw shucks' demeanor, McConaughey is an incredibly talented actor, a magnanimous personality, and a savvy, self-aware businessman," Eldridge added. "He took a measured approach to this campaign, and it will undoubtedly pay off on the balance sheet."

After McConaughey and Alves released their first pants-free ad, a representative for Pantalones told Fox News Digital that the couple came up with the idea for the campaign themselves. 

In a press release, the pair explained why they decided to forgo pants while promoting their tequila. 

"We’re precious about our tequila, not our pants," their statement reads. "With the explosion in popularity of tequila, there’s a level of snootiness that’s crept into the category. People now talk about tequila the way they talk about wine."

"While we’re all for being passionate about tequila, we wanted to remind people that, above all, it’s meant to be fun," it continued. "That’s where the name Pantalones came from, and that’s why you won’t see us wearing any."

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Eldridge shared his opinion on whether the Pantalones pantless ads are effective in debunking the "snootiness" of wine and liquor marketing campaigns.

"To some degree, yes," he told FOX Business. "The spirits industry can be fickle, when you get outside of household names like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels." 

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Though McConaughey and Alves have said that their pantless ads will continue indefinitely, Eldridge pointed out that the campaign's efficacy will likely have an expiration date.

"This type of marketing campaign — at least when it's being executed by McConaughey —is incredibly effective, but just like milk in the back of the fridge, it has a shelf life," he told FOX Business. 

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"For context, look at Budweiser's 'Wassup' campaign, circa 2000," Eldridge continued. "It became a cultural phenomenon, which far surpassed a standard ad campaign, and it lingered in the zeitgeist for years after the ads were eventually phased out." 

"So too is the case for Miller Lite's iconic 'Tastes Great. Less Filling' campaign," he added. "When Miller launched the first light beer in 1973, they leaned into this slogan. Twenty years later, they came out with a robust ad campaign, which permanently endeared itself to light beer drinkers across the country." 

"Point being, even the most iconic slogans and campaigns eventually must be retired. If history is any indicator, McCounaughey will ride this campaign (bareback) all the way to the bank!"