Weekend Fun: Virgin Mobile’s viral with Brad Pitt's bro

Brands usually associate themselves with the popular, the most talented or the most good looking faces in films and sports. But what about their siblings? The ones who share the same genes as their famous brothers or sisters, but haven’t quite made it big?

Virgin Mobile Australia has gone on to celebrate someone like that who’s always been overlooked. Hollywood star Brad Pitt needs no introduction and is the popular face of several leading brands, but his younger brother, Doug Pitt, despite looking strikingly similar, is fairly unknown.

In a campaign created by Euro RSCG, Virgin Mobile Austalia highlights the less than extra-ordinary life that Doug Pitt leads, as it proudly associates itself with the 'second most famous Pitt in his family'.

The introductory ad spoofs the American TV show Cribs, which takes viewers to homes of famous celebrities. The video shows Doug at home, listening to 70's music, using a black and white printer, and mowing the lawn, just like an average Joe. The video ends with a voice over introducing Doug Pitt as Virgin Mobile Australia’s ‘celebrity’ endorser, as it believes in fairness for all (even within the family).

The service provider also has a dedicated website called www.fairgobro.co.au which introduces Doug Pitt, and also provides  ‘Celebrity Deals’ to all. Pitt is also seen in shorter films which highlight features of Virgin Mobile, and is now on the lookout for an entourage for his first publicity tour in Australia.  

To the surprise of the hitherto lesser-known Pitt himself, the campaign has gone viral not just in Australia but across the world, with the introductory video receiving over 1.2 million hits on Youtube in just over a month.

“Honestly, I thought it would just play in Australia, and so ...  I told nobody - employees, friends ... all of a sudden I start getting calls and I panicked,” he  told NBC Today's Matt Lauer.