Just months after its theatrical farewell, Old Jamaica, the UK’s beloved ginger beer, is back with a bang and zero apologies, with a loud, spicy, and fire-starting comeback to coincide with its bold new look, all spearheaded by social-first agency, SAMY Alliance.
Old Jamaica is returning from the dead with a multi-faceted campaign running until June 2025. It will be primarily driven by audience participation through Old Jamaica’s social and digital channels using a series of unpredictable moments built for those who seek bold, edgy, and culturally relevant content.
The campaign will also be designed to bring back those frustrated, hardcore fans, gutted by Old Jamaica’s dramatic “retirement” in August last year, which grabbed attention but sparked confusion. The brand marked that goodbye with a campaign running across its social channels and out-of-home, including a grandiose and foul-mouthed au revoir speech, and teaser activations reading “Farewell Old Jamaica” across London, including at The Notting Hill Carnival.
This new campaign signals the arrival of the “New Old Jamaica” with bold creative across the streets of London, teasing a brand transformed – visually, tonally, and unapologetically spicy. Designed to reignite the love (as well as ruffle feathers), the campaign plays with contradictions, sparks curiosity, and gives people a taste of what’s changed.
What follows is a wave of unpredictable moments and fiery moves that bring the new essence of Old Jamaica to life. No spoilers, but let’s just say things are about to get a whole lot spicier. Expect boldness. Expect mischief. Expect a few surprises that only Old Jamaica could pull off.
And then the nation’s favourite ginger beer will return. This time for good.
Hernán Cerdeiro, SAMY Alliance CCO Americas and campaign lead, commented: “We got plenty of eyes on our retirement campaign, and yes, a lot of people weren’t happy – but this time, no bullsh*t, Old Jamaica is here to stay
“Since we ‘killed’ Old Jamaica back in August last year, we’ve seen some pale imitations of our campaign. You can’t kill off a brand then try to resurrect it three days later in the hope of generating social media chat. If your brand doesn’t have a solid back story and reason for its retirement, you’re just asking for trouble.
“Using SAMY’s extended capabilities and knowledge in the form of creativity, media, influencers, data, community management and production; and of course the full buy-in from our great client into this crazy idea, we were able to take Old Jamaica’s biggest fans on a journey to both celebrate the iconic brand and remember why they love it in the first place.”
Alfonso Haces, Global Director at Beliv Company (the parent company of Old Jamaica), added: “Did you miss us? Of course you did. Old Jamaica wasn’t really going anywhere, and now we’re back and better than ever
“Whether you’re one of our old time friends or someone discovering us for the first time, this relaunch is for anyone craving something different, fiery, and fun
“Just like we made a splash with our goodbye, breaking people’s hearts, we want to make it known that Old Jamaica is here to stay, for good, but in an entirely new way
“This relaunch campaign will remind people of the gaping hole left by Old Jamaica last year, adding some spice back where we left it. Although we’re launching with an all-new can, we’ll still be the good old Old Jamaica we all know and love… or will we?”