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In this particular execution we see the nodding bulldog going through his comedy routine as goalkeeper and defender of our planet. The Churchill dog, we are told, can't save free-kicks or save us from aliens, but he can save us money on our car insurance.

The ad is harmless enough, but the humour is a bit too gentle (for gentle, read 'not particularly funny'). If you must have gags about goalkeepers and aliens, why not write some funny ones? The 'go home' alien joke at the end is based on a film that's 22 years old. Not exactly what you'd call topical.

Of course, Churchill must be doing something right, or it wouldn't be number one. What it has done, and all credit to it, is come up with a creative vehicle and stuck to it like a limpet. But the $64,000 question is how much did it have to spend on Mr Bulldog to secure the number one slot? Ad history is full of famous campaigns that are pretty ropey. The reason they're famous is not that they're good, but because every time you turn on the telly they're staring you in the face.

I'm sure the Churchill campaign is effective, and I've got nothing against hard-working, low-cost commercials, but wouldn't the campaign be even more effective if the Churchill bulldog had a bit more bite? Despite being number one, a whopping 23% of people did not recall the ad.

And while we're on the subject of statistics, I wonder how Churchill would have performed on an unprompted ad awareness score? That's one can of worms we'll keep the lid on for another day.