Stella Artois and Netflix master product placement with Beckham and 'The Gentleman'

Lazily inserting a pint of Stella into Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ would not be very 21st century. Instead the brands’ story-rich collaboration speaks to their natural parallels.

Some collaborations reek of self-indulgent back-patting or tenuous surprise value. The colliding of Stella and Guy Ritchie's respective universes, however, is more brand ‘fit’ than ‘stretch’.

The collaboration works because both Stella Artois and ‘The Gentleman’ share an obsession with ritual. It’s a synchronicity that makes ‘The Gentlemen's Serve’ smarter than your average ‘nuts and gum’ branding exercise (if you’ll excuse the Simpsons reference).

Created by GUT Amsterdam and the Netflix Brand Creative Studio, the campaign transforms Stella's famous five-step pouring ritual into an extension of the show's world of status, hierarchy and power.

Theo James remains in character as Eddie Horniman while David Beckham sticks to the brooding, unbothered persona honed throughout his Stella oeuvre, enjoying his beer with poise and quiet reflection. Like the BBC StoryWorks/Expedia collaboration, this outing similarly recognises that fans don't want brands interrupting entertainment.

Netflix and Stella have built a convincing ecosystem rather than a commercial. 

Hero films, social content, experiential pub takeovers, limited-edition chalices and real-world activations all contribute to making the fictional universe here tangible.

What really sells this, however, is its lack of a hard sell. 

The production values, pacing, acting and scripting all feel consistent within the world of ‘The Gentleman’. And a quick watch of some of the shorter clips proves the point, we reckon.