Brewer flouts YSL writ with Dahl parody

Scottish Courage is extending its controversial Newcastle Brown advertising campaign over Christmas and New Year in an act of defiance against Yves Saint Laurent, which is suing the brewer over its parody of the famous Sophie Dahl Opium ad.

The ads, which ran in Manchester during September, are being rolled out in the brand’s home town and the rest of the North-east later this week.

The decision to extend the campaign is a direct snub to YSL. While the original featured the supermodel wearing nothing but jewellery and stilettoes, the brewer’s version, created by Circus, shows an unshaven man in overalls and boots. Instead of clutching a bottle of Opium perfume, he holds a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale; the strapline reads “Brown is the new Brown”.

The campaign was created to support the launch of Newcastle Brown on draught and in a smaller 330ml bottle in Manchester.

The original ad for Opium was pulled after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled it was “degrading” to women. Almost 1,000 people complained to the ASA, making it the most objected-to ad in the past five years.