Rosie Davenport
Shepherd Neame looks set to spark fresh controversy after promising provocative new TV ads for Spitfire Ale.
The £600,000 commercials, which will be Spitfire's first TV appearance, follow the same strategy as the ale's poster campaign which attracted a string of complaints. The Bottle of Britain series was launched by the Kent brewer to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and draws on war themes to promote the beer.
Last year the London Underground ordered Shepherd Neame to remove the posters after German tourists objected to the catchlines including Votz zo funny about zees posters?' and No fokker comes close'.
The Advertising Standards Authority also investigated the campaign but did not uphold any complaints.
The series of six commercials will be aired for eight weeks from November on Channel 4 and Sky Sports to tie in with coverage of the Ashes.
Shepherd Neame md Jonathan Neame said: "All the ads bar one have been posters at some stage. The rules of TV are different, but I think they will still be provocative and raise the brand's profile. They aren't as risqué ©n terms of gags, but they should still be entertaining."
The ads will feature an animated version of the Bottle of Britain theme to communicate the brew's traditional heritage.
Shepherd Neame last week said sales of Spitfire, the brewer's star performer, helped it to make a 2.1% leap in profit to £8.4m for the year to the end of June.

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