Four ten-second and one 20-second ad continue the German-bashing creative theme used in the past five years' advertising, and adopt the strapline: "Spitfire - the bottle for Britain."
They will run on Channel 4 and Sky Sports in a bid to reach the target audience of 25- to 50-year-old male drinkers, as well as the landlords who could potentially serve Spitfire. Media planning and buying was through John Ayling & Associates.
The RPM3 managing director, Mark Brandis, said: "The poster campaign provided a very high return on investment and helped to build a brand which now has huge potential. TV will help us unleash it."
One ad shows a Frenchman refusing a pint of Spitfire, keeping true to his country's love of wine, with the strapline "French Resistance". "Joystick" shows a pilot's eye-view of a loop-the-loop, and "Victoria cross" shows an angry girlfriend summoning her man home from the pub.
One ad, "propaganda", featuring a German figure discouraging consumption, has been banned by the BACC, but will be distributed to the trade and used internally.
The ads were written and art directed by Russell Wailes, Keith Otter, Steve McCabe, Denis Williams and Ian Pittams. They were animated by Ravi Swami and Alon Ziv at Unity.
Spitfire posters have come under fire from London Underground, which forced the removal of posters using the copy: "Keep the sunbeds, we're going to the bar" and "Votz so funny about zeez posters?".
JAA account director Andy Brander said: "Real ale is normally the preserve of older drinkers, but Spitfire has an irreverent personality which is suited to the target audience. Sky Sports is airing the Ashes this year, and Channel 4 is the right medium to reach them."
Previous manifestations of the campaign have come under fire from London Underground, which forced the removal of posters using the copy: "Keep the sunbeds, we're going to the bar" and "Votz so funny about zeez posters?"
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