By Patrick Avenell

A new Nespresso advertisement featuring Oscar winner George Clooney will debut on Australian television this Sunday night. The commercial, dubbed a ‘short film’, was directed by hit-and-miss director Guy Ritchie.

This is the third TV spot to star George Clooney who, when not winning Emmys, Golden Globes and Oscars, campaigns for celebrity left wing causes and apparently enjoys drinking Nespresso pod-based coffee products.

This installment, entitled The Capsule, is directed by Madonna’s estranged husband Guy Ritchie, who has previously directed the successful novo-noir thrillers Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and a remake of the classic Italian drama Swept Away, which is widely regarded as one of the worst movies of all time.

Regardless of the cast and crew’s respective pedigrees, this television campaign represents a serious promotional effort on Nespresso’s part, aimed at driving sales at the retail level. The commercials will run during the pre-Christmas sales period on the three free-to-air stations, as well as selected pay TV channels. These channels were specifically selected to target potential Nespresso customers.

Talking about this campaign is Nespresso Australia general manager, Renaud Tinel.

“We are very proud of this latest undertaking with George Clooney and are excited to bring it to audiences across Australia,” said Tinel. “We feel that people will be very pleased with the result – Clooney’s sophistication, style, wit and charm are all qualities that embody the Nespresso concept.”

Nespresso also report that Clooney has signed on to continue promoting Nespresso until 2010.