This appeal is unique to the German market, and can not be found in either Dutch or British advertising. There may, however, be some explanation in the abolition of the Reinheitsgebot, an antique law ensuring the purity of the beer, by the EU in the late 1980s. Although this is certainly not the only possible explanation for the use of this particular appeal, consumers will understand, that the beer in question is brewed in line with the regulation of the Reinheitsgebot. This theory is supported by the fact that 3 out of the 4 commercials using this type of appeal state that they brew according to the Reinheitsgebot. In the Netherlands, the friendship appeal equally dominates the beer advertising.
Beer is consumed with friends - however much more in an everyday situation than in Germany.
Equally, beer can be consumed at home, even alone to relax - a depiction that is not at all used in German advertising. Another link found in the Netherlands, and not used in Germany, is the link between beer and sport events, where beer is consumed accompanying the activity of watching a game of football. Another appeal used in both the UK and the Netherlands is display of beer consumption as a relaxing activity. However most dominant in the UK is the use of female characters in beer commercials. Whereas there are virtually no female characters to be found in Dutch or German beer advertising, or if so, they are depicted as just another person with no major impact on the advertising as a whole, the female characters play a relatively dominant role in a majority of British commercials.