Marston's ready for Ashes clashes

Marston's plans to launch a series of adverts that poke good-humoured fun at the Aussies, ahead of the first Ashes Test match this month.

The activity, which forms part of the Pedigree brewer's England Has It campaign, will feature adverts with straplines that include: "We have beer in our blood. Australians have lemon juice in their hair", "England has history. Australia has previous", and "We're English, we brew beer. You're Australian, you serve it".

The light-hearted banter between the two nations is a tradition of the Ashes, having been started by the Australians in 1882 when the English Sporting Times published an Aussie-funded advert bearing the infamous lines "English cricket has died and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".

The Marston's adverts, which will appear on posters around cricket grounds, use traditional brewing imagery, including a tiled pub sign, decorative pub mirror and British pub beer mats to communicate the best of English heritage against Australian alternatives.

Last month the brewer kicked off its cricket-themed activity with the launch of Pedigree Marmite, a limited edition version of the "love it or hate it" yeast extract toast spread.

The spread is made with yeast from the Pedigree brew and comes in a specially-designed cricket ball jar.

"England and Australia love to 'hate' each other for the five test matches that stand between them and that tiny urn," said marketing director Peter Jackson.

"It's a unique rivalry that you don't find at any other test match, but it's all in good humour."