Poor Commodore is in trouble over an advertising campaign again. Following its dishonourable mention from the Advertising Standards Authority last year, it has fallen foul of the RSPCA and the elephant liberation front.

Animal lovers around the country have protested against Commodore's use of Maureen the circus elephant in its TV advertising, and the Independent Broadcasting Authority has responded by banning the ads. This strong action turns out to be shutting the stable door after the elephant has bolted - Commodore had no plans to use it again anyway. Dumbo Award

A clear winner - Commodore for the most photogenic abuse of an elephant. Crystal Ball: PCN Three Weeks Ago

The elephant controversy will come as no surprise to regular readers. Commodore won the coveted Dumbo Award (issue 92) in our Golden Turkey special supplement. If the other awards are as prophetic, Ericsson should look out for letters from the NSPCC.

To its credit, Commodore is taking the matter seriously. It argues that it checked with the RSPCA before it filmed the commercial, in which Maureen sat placidly on a stool. It had the script checked by the Independent Television Contractors Association. "There is no way that we would consciously set out to offend public taste or subject an elephant to cruelty," a spokesman said.