The Most Interesting Man in the World is being temporarily replaced for a good reason

He doesn't always take trips to Mars, but when he does, he never returns.

Dos Equis is officially ending Jonathan Goldsmith's decade-long tenure as its beloved pitchman with a farewell commercial in which the debonair man of mystery blasts off on a one-way trip to the Red Planet.

Goldsmith's exit won't spell the end for the Heineken-owned beer brand's long-running "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign, the company says. But it remains tight-lipped about what the next iteration of its mascot will look like.

Instead of the end of one of the most iconic characters in advertising, Heneiken USA's chief marketing officer Nuno Teles wants people to think of the change as a franchise reboot -- the same way James Bond, Batman and Superman get periodic makeovers to keep the concepts fresh. 

In fact, Dos Equis' ad execs even consulted with some of the creators behind 007 for advice on how to pass the torch of such a well-known character.

"We have created one of the most celebrated campaigns of the 21st century -- I dare say it goes beyond a campaign to a cultural icon," Teles said. 

"It happens to be the case that we found a way to make this campaign even more interesting and that will be basically through having a new meme."

It wasn't a decision that Dos Equis treated lightly. Market research showed that the character still resonates with consumers and the Mexican lager remains the fastest growing beer brand in the United States.

But ultimately, Teles said, there was a fear that the campaign could lose its relevance if the brand didn't actively work to keep the ideas fresh.

"Why do you change something that is working? Because we can do better. Because we know that we have a way to evolve," Teles said. 

In Goldsmith's place, Dos Equis is looking for a more modern take on the character that will appeal even more to young people -- one that wouldn't feel out of place in scenarios involving social media or the messaging platform WhatsApp, which Teles names as a specific example of a more modern set piece.

"Jonathan as the 'Most Interesting Man' is always looking back," Teles said. "He's always referring to what he did in the past. We believe there's space to be more relevant for current consumers as well as new customers."

The campaign's initial launch in 2006 quickly became much more a hit than its creators had ever dreamed, propelling Dos Equis from a low-profile beer sold mostly in California and Texas to one of the biggest brands in the country and Goldsmith from an unknown actor to a household name.

As for the fate of Goldsmith's "Most Interesting Man in the World" after he blasts through the stratosphere, he can worry less about potential competition for his title on world inhabited only by him. However, given the general scarcity of water on the planet, there's also a good chance he could indeed "stay thirsty."

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