What are Theo James and David Beckham serving up for Stella Artois?

Stella Artois is stepping into the criminal underworld of Netflix's The Gentlemen, teaming up with the streaming platform for a global campaign starring David Beckham and Theo James.

Titled "The gentlemen's serve", the integrated campaign marks Stella Artois as the first brand partner for the series, as well as the first multi-market brand activation between Netflix and Stella Artois parent company AB InBev. It comes ahead of the second season of The Gentlemen, which premieres on Netflix on 3 September.

Developed by GUT Amsterdam in collaboration with Netflix Brand Studio, the campaign plays on Stella Artois' five-step pouring ritual, reframing the process as a series of power moves within the stylish but gritty world of the Guy Ritchie-created series.

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At the centre of the campaign is hero film "The auction", which brings together Stella Artois ambassador Beckham and James, who reprises his role as Eddie Horniman from the series. The pairing is aimed at extending the campaign beyond The Gentlemen's existing fanbase by bringing together two recognisable figures from entertainment and sport.

The hero film is accompanied by five shorter vignettes, titled "The clean-up", "The sacrifice", "The angle", "The cut" and "The judgement". Each film takes its name from a stage of the beer brand's pouring ritual and gives it a Gentlemen-inspired spin.

Beyond the campaign films, the partnership will extend across custom social content on Netflix and Stella Artois' owned platforms, experiential activations in selected markets and limited-edition Stella Artois chalices.

The campaign forms part of a wider multi-year global partnership between AB InBev and Netflix, with "The gentlemen's serve" representing the companies' first activation to span multiple markets.

“Stylish, elevated, great taste – attributes of the world’s most premium beer and one of the most successful and widely anticipated shows on Netflix. The Gentlemen is a natural fit to showcase Stella Artois’ brewing heritage and iconic pouring ritual, and to have James and Beckham connect those worlds is a treat for fans everywhere,” said Marcel Marcondes, global chief marketing officer of AB InBev.

Speaking on the collaboration, James said the partnership draws on the rituals of aristocracy explored throughout The Gentlemen, while Stella Artois' focus on serving rituals made the brand a natural fit for the show's world. He added that the collaboration feels authentic to the series and offers fans another way to engage with it.

The campaign is the latest development in a wider partnership between Netflix and AB InBev, which the companies struck last year to bring the brewer's portfolio of brands into Netflix titles, campaigns and live events across multiple markets.

Under the partnership, AB InBev brands are set to feature in co-marketing campaigns tied to Netflix titles including The Gentlemen in the UK, Brasil 70 - A saga do tri in Brazil and Culinary class wars in South Korea. The collaboration spans title integrations, limited-edition packaging, digital promotions and experiential activations aimed at fans of legal drinking age.

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