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Holsten Pils

This German lager had two very entertaining ad campaigns to promote it during the '80s and early '90s.

The first series of ads, which began c.1986, showed people stranded in dire situations and singing about their plight- they included astronauts stuck on the moon after their ship took off without them, explorers stranded in the desert, and a shipwrecked pianist from a cruise liner. The songs were punctuated by a chorus of cartoon animals singing "This calls for a Holsten!"

The second series, which aired from c.1988 and ran (off and on) for about three years, featured comedian Griff Rhys-Jones 'interacting' with scenes from classic old movies. Clips from the films were interspersed with dialogue from Griff, so that it seemed like he and the actors were talking to each other about lager (and Holsten in particular).

A clip from 'Ice Cold In Alex' was also used some time later to advertise Carlsberg, although in that case the Carlsberg logo that appeared on John Mills's beer glass in the film really WAS in it and not superimposed.


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Do You Remember Holsten Pils?

Do You Remember Holsten Pils?

  • Anonymous user
    on
    Remember the anagrams ones from the early Nineties? They were on billboards, not sure about TV. "Spot Ill Hens" and other anagrams of the product name.
    • Anonymous user
      on
      Yes, the anagrams were on the TV ads featuring Jeff Goldblum. There was one where he suffered from hayfever and the anagram was Shh...it's pollen.