Dos Equis dropping ‘Most Interesting Man’ actor from ad campaign

A Dos Equis beer ad debuting on Thursday will mark actor Jonathan Goldsmith’s last appearance as the “Most Interesting Man in the World,” the suave character who helped drive up sales for the Heineken-owned brand during the last decade through ubiquitous adverts in which he told viewers: “Stay thirsty, my friend.”

Mr. Goldsmith, 77, as his character, embarks on a one-way mission to Mars in his final television commercial for the company.

“His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like,” the ad’s narrator says as the actor is seen boarding a space shuttle in the 60-second TV spot.

Heineken USA said it will reboot the ad campaign in the fall but without the bearded actor who portrayed the character since 2006. Andrew Katz, the vice president of marketing for Dos Equis, told USA Today that business nearly tripled for the company between 2007 and 2015.

“I put all of myself into this character,” Mr. Goldsmith told the newspaper. “What you see on screen was all there long before this role was created — the beard, the mischief, the tan. I have a tremendous lust for life that hopefully comes across in my portrayal of ’The Most Interesting Man.’ “

Beer execs declined to name a replacement for the actor, but they told Ad Age that they plan to modernize the campaign and align it more closely with the College Football Playoff; Dos Equis signed a multi-year agreement with ESPN in March to become the official beer of the competition in December.

“If you just plug the current campaign in the context of college football, there is something there missing,” Heineken USA Chief Marketing Officer Nuno Teles told Ad Age.

“You need something a bit more contemporary and something a bit more in today’s world,” he said.

“Jonathan as the ’Most Interesting Man’ is always looking back,” Mr. Teles told Mashable. “He’s always referring to what he did in the past. We believe there’s space to be more relevant for current consumers as well as new customers.”