CLOSE-UP: LIVE ISSUE/FOREIGN CULTURE IN ADS - Using cultural differences in ads is a precarious line to walk, Jenny Watts writes.(Brief Article)

Advertisers have been using the idiosyncrasies of European nations for years to shift their products, and a new campaign through M&C Saatchi for Kronenbourg 1664 continues the legacy of brands looking to use their foreign heritage to sell themselves in the UK.

Introducing the strapline, 'Vive la vie Francaise', the campaign exposes the grudging respect we British apparently feel toward the French, arriving at the tongue-in-cheek verdict that we would look better, eat better and be more romantic if Napoleon had been victorious at Waterloo.

It might be a well-trodden path, but the subtle humour in the spot enables it to skirt the foreign cliche pitfall. The lager sector is renowned for particularly memorable advertising, so highlighting the brand's French heritage in an entertaining way should give it the requisite stand-out.

Playing on a nation's characteristics is a tempting, popular route, as it enables advertisers to poke affectionate, well-intentioned fun at 'Johnny Foreigner'.

But it can be a fine line to tread. While some brands sell themselves successfully on exploiting caricatures - such as the 'Dambusters' spot for Carling, or Ikea's heavy-accented Swedish frontmen - other times it can feel laboured, a criticism levelled at Grolsch's menacing Dutchmen.

However, the time constraints of a 30-second ad can force unwanted caricatures. As Andrew Cracknell, Bates UK's executive creative director, points out: 'We only have about two seconds to create a character.'

Faced with such limitations, distilling the essence of a nation can be hard. But Bartle Bogle Hegarty managed to make Audi seem the most German of all its up-market competitors by introducing an incomprehensible strapline, which then assumed legendary proportions.