Directory inquiries company 11890 had their latest TV ad pulled by RT� and TV3 last week on the basis that it was too aggressive. Now the ad can only be viewed on YouTube.

Directory inquiries company 11890 responded to the latest campaign from 11850 with a humorous take on their competitors advertisement.

Conduit, the company that operates the 11850 directory inquiries service in Ireland, recently launched an ad campaign featuring "118" and "50", two mustachioed joggers in green tracksuits, running through the streets of Dublin, helping Dublin shoppers as they go.

The two joggers are Irish versions of the characters in the longrunning campaign for UK directory inquiries number 118118, which is operated by the same parent company as 11850.

DDFH & B, 11890's advertising agency, filmed a response showing similar joggers running through Dublin streets, smoking and coughing. They are kidnapped and bundled in an 11890 van.

The advert ends with the joggers being thrown out at Dollymount strand, forced to swim back to Britain wearing Union Jack swimming trunks.

"It is definitely breaking new ground for Irish advertising, " according to advertising expert Rosie Hand.

"They are aggressively positioning themselves as a serious competitor in the market. It's a legitimate form of competitive behaviour and an effective way of getting their message across to the audience, " she said. Hand lectures in advertising at DIT.

She believes the advertisement would have damaged Conduit's brand.

"Research would suggest that the effectiveness of the original brand's campaign, in this case 11850, would be reduced, " she said.

"But I think it really depends on whether 11850 can come up with an innovative counter strategy, " she concluded.

Targeted 11850 was prepared to take it in good humour. "We would like to reassure the Irish publish that 118 and 50 are safe and were last seen on their way to a pub in Galway, " an 11850 spokeswoman told the Sunday Tribune hours before it was to have aired on RT�.

RT� initially approved the ads last week for broadcast. The spot ran during two RT� primetime viewing slots:

during Thursday night's news and again during The Late Late Show on Friday night. It also ran in the middle of TV3's Celebrity Dancing On Ice final. According to 11890, clearance to run the ads was revoked at the last moment.

Managing director of 11890 Nicola Byrne said she was incredibly disappointed with the decision.

"It was pulled at the eleventh hour on the basis that it was too aggressive towards our competitors, even though it was humorous, " she said.

RT� had originally approved of the ad when the script was submitted but declined once they saw the footage.

"Once they saw it they felt it was too close to let go. I'm incredibly disappointed, " she told the Sunday Tribune.