A cultural gamble by SmithKline Beecham, makers of Lucozade, appears to have paid off. The Irish wing of the company wondered if it should run a television advertisement made in England, featuring the English soccer team, on RTE and UTV.

On one hand, there was the not-entirely-secret antipathy towards the English team, as witnessed in almost every pub in Ireland during the last European championships. On the other hand, the advertisement focused entirely on Newcastle's star striker, Alan Shearer, recognised by all soccer fans not only as a great player but also as an all-round decent head.

In the end, SmithKline Beecham decided to go with Shearer and, according to senior product manager, Ms Jocelyn Emerson, has not had a single complaint.