Actor gives Vittoria a kick, and vice versa

THE Australian coffee company that signed up Al Pacino for his advertising debut says sales have hit a record high. The black-and-white ads starring Pacino and shot in cinematic style by the Hollywood director Barry Levinson ran in July and August on Australian free-to-air TV.

The 70-year-old Oscar-winning star of The Godfather and Scarface received international media coverage for his praise of the Australian coffee brand Vittoria, a fillip to the estimated $2 million to $3 million a year the parent company will spend on buying media for the ad.