New Armstrong and Miller Spitfire campaign despite falling foul of advertising guidelines

Brewer Shepherd Neame has filmed five TV ads starring the comedy duo as part of an on-going campaign for its flagship brand.

It expressed surprise at the decision by ClearCast, the body that clears TV ads for broadcast, which ruled that one of the adverts was “likely to cause offence” to Polish people working in the UK.

"One of the proposed new advertisements was not cleared for TV, which is surprising given the characters portrayed by comedy duo are clearly absurd caricatures,” a Shepherd Neame spokesperson said.
 
“The Armstrong and Miller RAF pilot characters juxtapose old and new by using modern day street language in an historical setting, and make a humorous play on the perceived attitudes of modern youth.
 
“Spitfire ale has become known for its tongue-in-cheek advertising based on wartime themes, and the Armstrong and Miller advertisements continue in this vein but with a modern twist.”
 
Four of the five ads filmed were cleared however, and will be running from the beginning of next month.

The campaign also includes print and poster ads, a PR campaign and appearances by Armstrong and Miller at consumer and trade events.

“We have always been recognised as a brand with entertaining marketing and this most recent collaboration juxtaposes old and new in a very humorous way,” said brand manager Kate Maclean.

“This was also an opportunity to bring these hugely popular characters back to the screen.”

Armstrong and Miller were revealed in the Publican’s Morning Advertiser​ as the new brand ambassadors for Spitfire back in February.

Licensees can win a live performance by the two if they buy two nine gallon firkins of Spitfire up to 14 July.