• Wall Street Journal, Very Short List , Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:41 AM

Russia has banned the depiction of people in commercials for beer for five years but marketers get around that by using off-screen voices or animated beer bottles to suggest a living presence in their ads. As part of a new clampdown on alcohol abuse, regulators are tightening rules, Andrew Osborn writes in the Journal, that are designed to make beer less appealing to young people.

Communist North Korea, meanwhile, has produced its own "chirpy" contribution to the beer oeuvre -- a two-and-a-half-minute spot for Taedong River Beer. "We're shown a new vision of North Korea -- one with cheerful citizens yukking it up in a local pub while viewers are assured the beer relieves stress, improves health, and contains protein and vitamins," VSL reports. Check it out now because you're not likely to see it in Cannes next year.

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