Adwatch

Carling v Carlsberg

Carling and Carlsberg - both cooking lager, but who comes out on top in the advertising stakes?

Carling have simply revived their shirts v skins street football match advert from months ago, but accompanied it with a second, shorter ad in which Andy Gray gets to rewind the tape, get his big white pen out and talk us through exactly how the goal is scored. Unsurprisingly it's as enlightening and amusing as his co-commentary on Sky (ie not at all), and as forced in its animated delivery style as his commentary contributions to countless computer games (ie very).

Carlsberg too have opted for a spot of recycling, digging out the "best flatmates in the world" ad for another hurrah simply because it concludes with the prospective tenant being shown onto a balcony overlooking a football stadium.

But they've also come up with a new, very long advert featuring England heroes of the past playing in a team centred on the pub The Old Lion (see what they've done there?). Sir Bobby Robson is the manager, and there are also appearances from Peter Beardsley, Alan Ball, the Charlton brothers, Chris Waddle, Terry Butcher, Peter Reid, Bryan Robson, John Barnes, Des Walker, Stuart Pearce and Peter Shilton.

Of course, the laughs are forced, and who wants to contemplate the type of underwear worn by Monkey's Heed? But the incredulity with which Jack Charlton receives his booking for shirt pulling still raises a smile and as a whole it's almost enough to pierce my cynicism.

I say "almost" because, although the ad knocks Carling's efforts into a cocked hat, it nevertheless reminds me of Carlsberg's status as "the official beer of the England team" - somewhat bizarre, given the company's insistence in their ads for Carlsberg Export upon the lager's Danish origins. Patriotism my arse. It's all a load of commercial nonsense. Don't be sucked in.