Close-Up: My YouTube ad of the week - Foster's

Task: Refresh Foster's association with comedy by reviving iconic British shows.

Execution: Foster's has created a branded YouTube channel to launch the first new Alan Partridge series in seven years. It launched at 11am on 5 November and 15-minute episodes are released every week, with 12 planned in total.

Credits: Naked Communications (media); Armando Iannucci (writing and production); Baby Cow (production).

Why I like this: This is new and exclusive long-form comedy but with an insurance policy - the pre-set fan base. And it is exponentially viral.

For Partridge fans, the trailer sets the tone and has already brought a tear to the eye of 168,000 viewers: the trailer for Mid Morning Matters shows typically clumsy moments of the lovable yet vulnerable Partridge set to a whimsical soundtrack.

The episodes themselves are just long enough to give you a dose of Partridge but short enough to ensure you don't lose interest in the fixed shot of the radio studio.

Wish I'd thought of: Bringing iconic comedy back is a smart addition to Foster's comedy portfolio and 570,000 views is a great start. But what about Partridge's quotability? The site invites comments but there doesn't seem much interest. Perhaps the pure joy of the content is enough, but I can't help thinking a Partridge search engine or "Partridgeikipedia" would have been fun too.

He once said: "Give me another series, you sh#t!" Well, now he has one. Thank you, Foster's.

http://tinyurl.com/32qpkk5

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk