What an amusing story. Apparently there has been "controversy" over an advert (pictured) run in Belgian to promote Eurstar trips to London. Thing is, if you read it, there has only been one complaint. Personally I don't have a problem with the advert at all, I thought it was quite amusing.I imagine the people that might get upset about it are those who equate the English flag and skinheads to racist white power English nationalism. Such a reductionist view of people based upon appearance would of course be rather ironic given that the dislike of the aforementioned group stems from rejecting their reductionist views of people based on appearance.
When it comes to promotion of a country then stereotypes will almost always come in to play in advertising. A foreign ad exec thinking of England will most likely go, Monarchy, bowlers hats (posh), mohawk punks and skins (proles). Now look at the advert again. China tea cup on a nice antique table (posh). Skinhead taking a leak in it (prole).
Clearly it's a social masterpiece!
5 comments:
I think there's a deeper suggestion: that England would win a European p*ssing contest.
Where do you go to complain about adverts? I want to complain about all the ads on the tube with that perky bitch being much happier because she got a boob job.
Way back lost in the mists of time, there was a commercial for The Guardian which played with perceptions involving the shaven headed and booted - in one shot a skinhead is running towards a terrified businessman and rugby tackles him, in another you can see he is pushing the chap out of the way of falling masonry. Doubtless there was some smug slogan about seeing the whole picture blah blah blah.
Croydonian: "... about seeing the whole picture blah blah blah."
Guardian: "But it's only when you get the whole picture,that you can understand ...".
Excellent call, Croydonian!
I do remember that ad, which was quite good actually.
Even if it was a total fabrication of what that paper was all about.
What's really wrong is that we are so knee-jerk inoffensive in Britain now that we see ads like this as offensive instead of taking the piss.
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