AFL star Bailey Smith is starring in a cheeky new television advertisement for Barry, the low-carb alcoholic beverage brand co-founded by Nick and Josh Daicos. The Geelong midfielder, 24, appears as a very attractive bartender whose charm leaves a female customer second-guessing her drink order in a playful reboot of the 2001 "Five Cougars, Thanks" campaign for Cougar Bourbon. The campaign, which launches Barry’s Cherry Vanilla Cola just in time for the AFL finals, also features Carlton star Charlie Curnow in a cameo.
Smith describes the spot as fun, provocative and a natural fit for the Barry brand, emphasizing humor and nostalgia while underscoring that life should be taken a little less seriously. "The campaign is fun, a bit provocative and fits the Barry brand perfectly," he said in a statement. "It's all about humour, nostalgia and not taking life too seriously." The advertisement marks Barry's continued growth in the ready-to-drink category, two years after the brand first launched.
Beyond the campaign, the ad lands amid public interest in Smith's relationship with Tammy Hembrow, a fitness influencer who has been linked to the Geelong midfielder since weeks prior to the article's publication. The couple has been seen together on the Gold Coast and in Melbourne, with paparazzi pictures indicating a comfortable rhythm despite ongoing public interest. They went Instagram official in recent weeks, and their public appearances have fed ongoing interest in whether the romance will endure.
Tammy Hembrow has recently split from husband Matt Zukowski, with divorce announced in June. The couple became engaged in December 2023 after a brief dating period and married in November 2024. Rumors of trouble began circulating earlier in 2025, culminating in a divorce announcement in June.
Industry watchers describe the Barry campaign as a bold, nostalgic play that ties sport and pop culture to a consumer-brand move during finals. The ad's playful flirtation, anchored by Smith, is intended to generate buzz around Barry's new Cherry Vanilla Cola, with a cameo by Charlie Curnow adding cross-code appeal as the finals drive attention to the brand.
The ad will run across Australia during the football finals, marking another example of athlete-embedded advertising in Australian culture. The brand's growth is framed as one of the fastest-growing in the ready-to-drink category in Australia, according to the campaign notes.