Beckham on the bench for phone ad

MOBILE phones giant Vodafone has dropped David Beckham from its latest advertising campaign in a bid to appeal to older people.

The 28-year-old England and Real Madrid star, who was paid £1m to advertise the company's camera phone, has been replaced by a nondescript 40-something man, seen on his way to the newsagent.

En route the man sees a number of things which remind him of friends and relatives he feels he should be keeping in touch with more often.

Vodafone said the £4m campaign is aimed at 'making older users be more spontaneous with their mobiles'. The firm said it is not dropping Beckham permanently but resting him for its Live! service campaign.