A new campaign from Molson Coors' Carling, the U.K.'s biggest beer brand, celebrates the power of friendship and "mates" with a series of light-hearted scenarios.

The ads, by Havas London, depict little moments of joky banter that arise with friendships, whether it's playing a prank on your friend during a soccer game; accidentally "twinning" with your outfit and having to decide who gets to keep the jacket; giving your cyclist friend a ride but making him sit in the back seat because he stinks; or carrying a round of drinks for your mates in a crowded bar but being teased about "taking your time."

Rather than it just being about blokey back and forth, however, several of the "mates" are female and the casting is diverse. The director was Tom Green at Stink. 

“There are few brands that boast such a unique place within British culture as Carling,” said Vicki Maguire, chief creative officer at Havas London, in a statement. “And at the heart of that culture are the shared experiences we live with our mates. They are the bonds that shape us and make us. We wanted to capture what those friendships really look like—which, in the U.K., often means good-natured humor underpinned by genuine affection. We’ll all recognize these moments, because we live them up and down the country every day.”

The campaign will air during sports events and other tentpole moments over the rest of this year. It evolves Carling's "Made Local" campaign from 2019, which centered on the power of communities by celebrating people who had made a positive impact on their hometown.

“The strength of 'Made Local' has always been in its genuine, authentic portrayals of the diverse lives of real drinkers up and down the country – but much has changed since we introduced the platform in 2019," commented Lee Willett, brand director at Carling. "And while we connect to the places that made us and what we did there, we connect because of the people who make those places. It’s that familiar, everyday, yet universal sense of community—and the friendships that underpin it—we set out to celebrate in this campaign.”