Miranda Lambert Shills in an ‘Untamed’ Way for Lone River Ranch Water

The chair that Miranda Lambert should be sitting in is empty, and the canned cocktails she’s supposed to be promoting are slowly gathering dust. 

The crew at this commercial shoot for Lone River Ranch Water is standing by, but there’s no celebrity spokeswoman hitting her marks and delivering her lines. There’s only a plaintive question that goes out over a walkie talkie: “Eyes on Miranda? Anyone?” 

This is not diva behavior on the part of the chart-topper and three-time Grammy winner. In fact, Lambert is the brand personified, according to the new campaign that equates her free-spirited nature with the DNA of the tequila-inspired product.

Lambert is “untamed, true to where she comes from, lives by no one’s rules, not even ours,” according to the hero 30-second spot.

That’s why she’s strumming a guitar in one ad (“Guitar”) and riding a horse in another (“Untamed”), with neither activity written into the script, or so the ad’s narration says. At any rate, the seemingly impromptu moves make a more convincing statement than asking her to pose and shill, per the campaign from agency Anomaly.

‘Fresh and pioneering’ spirit

The brief asked creatives to give an authentic peek into “the West Texas spirit,” which needed some fleshing out, according to the agency’s head of brand strategy, Nika Rastakhiz.

“The spirit of the West is fresh and pioneering,” Rastakhiz told Adweek. “It’s not all grit and stoicism–it’s light and fun.”

That insight led to the “real and raw” partnership with Lambert, Rastakhiz said, which is not a one-and-done marketing campaign.

The country music superstar, who’s headlining a Las Vegas residency through late 2023, will continue working with Lone River as part of a multiyear alliance. Full details are still to come, but she will be collaborating with the brand’s CEO and founder Katie Beal Brown on networking events and other gatherings for female entrepreneurs in various U.S. cities.

“I don’t do a ton of partnerships, but I was drawn to Katie’s story and found so many similarities with my own,” Lambert said in a statement. “I’m a storyteller first and foremost, and that’s exactly what Katie set out to do with this brand. Lone River was built on honoring her family’s roots and sharing an authentic way of life in West Texas. I’m excited to see what kind of noise us Texas women can make together.”

Brown called Lambert “the embodiment of the trailblazing spirit that built our business” who has “played such an important part in modernizing the ideals of the American West.”

The latest ads–from the agency where Brown got her start as an account director–hype the margarita-style line extension, called Ranch Rita, and its new variety pack. The new ads will appear on broadcast TV, streaming services, digital and social platforms. Acquired by liquor conglomerate Diageo in 2021, Lone River has also worked with Austin-based GSD&M on previous projects.