Stella Artois unveils new ad

Interbrew has launched a new television advert for Stella Artois, the latest in its "Reassuringly Expensive" campaign.

The Publican was given an exclusive first viewing of the advert and it carries on the familiar themes of previous Stella ads, with a historical setting, dialogue in French and, of course, the usual sting in the tail.

It shows an English war pilot, shot down by German gunmen over a French peasant village. The pilot seeks refuge in the bar of the village.

However, when the Germans come looking for him, the French owner of the bar betrays the Englishman at the last minute (sounds familiar) to safeguard his supply of Stella Artois.

The campaign, which has run since 1992, has always stood out compared to other brewers' adverts, according to Matt Edwards from advertising agency Lowes, which has worked in partnership with Interbrew on the "Reassuringly Expensive" campaign.

He said: "Other campaigns are set in urban locations and use actors with male model looks and are very up to date. We take an opposite view. Our adverts are set in rural locations, with more realistic actors and in historical settings. Our adverts are also longer than most of our rivals'."

Phil Rumbol, director of marketing for Interbrew, said: "We have a very clear message about how we advertise the brand. There is a cleverness and subtlety to the adverts. They look like real films."

This quality has given Interbrew the opportunity to employ some of the world's best advertisement directors, including Frank Budgen, Jonathan Glaser, who directed British movie Sexy Beast and the director of the new ad, Ivan Zacharias.

The advert will premiere on June 20 and will run until the end of the year. It is part of a £26m media campaign in 2004 to support the brand.