Celebrity advertisements.

garinda · 28-11-2008, 02:43

We are told we are in the grips of a recession.

Marks and Spencer, in a similar position to many other companies, are seeing their profits plummeting.

What do they do?

They release a mini-epic film advertisment. Sort of a Wham Christmas video, but with less big hair, and none of the biting political satire.

There’s Twiggy cracking her nuts in a leather chair. A sort of cut price Susan Sarandon matriarch, playing Marmee in Little Women. Little Zed List.

Lily is stood warming her mitts in front of the fire, after getting them wet playing snowballs with Take That outside.

Erin O’Conner and Noemie Lenoir are trying to find the end of the Sellotape, whilst the violin playing one from Hear Say is by the window, draping the tree with her Angel hair.

Laura Bailey must be in the kitchen, preparing sprouts with Shirley Bassey, as they are nowhere to be seen in this one. Bless ‘em. We'll have to wait until Easter, when Bryan Ferry brings West Life round for a goose. Not just any goose, but an M & S honey glazed goose, with a rustic herb stuffing .

Do you care that flame haired Oxford undergraduate and part time model, Lily Cole, is being paid a massive amount of money to be in the advert? Or would you equally understand the ‘lifestyle’ concept they are trying to flog just as well, if it was some unknown ginger in a baby lamb’s wool sweater?

Do you watch these celebrity advertisements and feel the urge to rush out and buy your granddad that dressing gown, and the vests he’s going to get?

Similarly do you watch Biggins offering his prawn ring to Coleen, Jason, and Kerry, no need for surnames, they’re that big, and think forget Farmhouse Foods and Jack Fulton’s, if it ain’t good enough for a smack head mum, it ain’t good enough for me, I’m off to Iceland to buy my Peking duck boats?

Are we taken in by these companies paying massive amounts of money to celebrities pretending they are having a party? When we really know it was filmed in May, and all those people wouldn’t be in a room together unless they were being paid bucket loads of money to be there.

Personally price and quality are the two most important factors, deciding where I shop. I’d much rather the savings they could make by using jobbing actors, was passed on to us, the customers.

What do you think? Do they decide where you shop?

grannyclaret · 28-11-2008, 02:51

no ..but i do like iceland stuff...its cheap and cheerful..

garinda · 28-11-2008, 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by grannyclaret

no ..but i do like iceland stuff...its cheap and cheerful..

It is.

All I want to know is what they sell, and how much it is.

I don't buy it because it's Biggin's favourite nibble when he's got the girls round.

MargaretR · 28-11-2008, 02:55

Sometimes when watching those M&S food ads I wish they did food deliveries.
Their clothing ads seem to be working for me too - got 2 deliveries this month.

grannyclaret · 28-11-2008, 02:59

oh dont say your jealous of biggins,,,,

grannyclaret · 28-11-2008, 03:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Sometimes when watching those M&S food ads I wish they did food deliveries.
Their clothing ads seem to be working for me too - got 2 deliveries this month.

thats why i like iceland ,they deliver the heavy, food and bottles to your door

onlyme · 28-11-2008, 07:36

I wont buy from Iceland mainly cos of the daft adverts with the waste of space mother who has in her contract that she can shop in Tesco. Wouldnt care if they dropped everything to a pound, dont like the thought of her getting my money.

Marks and Spencers ads, they only time they work is with the melt in the middle choc pudding, bet thay didnta ask for star studded trailer and a personal limo.

The only ads I actually watch these days are the straight to the point 'we are doing such a thing for such a price'. That'll do me nicely. I wonder when one of the big companies actually realise that doing a cheap ad but donating the remainder of the budget to charity or something that will actually effect their customers (whilst obviously creating big Google Page Ranking thing) might work that bit better, especially in current climates

Yolanda25 · 28-11-2008, 08:23

i would never shop in marks, i think their prices are ridiculous, i rather keep shoppin in iceland and asda for the same stuff but 10 times cheaper, ok so they dont come in nice packages like m&s but im sure they taste exactly the same if not better

Lolly · 28-11-2008, 09:25

The celebrities in adverts certainly dont make me want to go out and shop in a certain shop, but if I knew Take That were going to be in Marks all the time i'd never leave.

jaysay · 28-11-2008, 09:52

Well these ads aren't half as long with fast forward on Sky+, I never have taken notice of TV ads, in fact if marks didn't pay so much for adverts maybe they would be able to charge less at the till.

Studio25 · 28-11-2008, 10:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Lily is stood warming her mitts in front of the fire, after getting them wet playing snowballs with Take That outside.

Half the time, I can't recognise these people. I only know they are "celebs" because they aren't saying or doing anything to actually promote the product or company, they're just there.

There was one on last night for an after-shave. It wasn't arty like they usually are, it was just a bloke getting out of a limo and walking up some steps before turning to wave at a crowd of adoring women. it must have been a celeb, but I've no idea who. If I wasn't so generally ignorant, I'd consider it might be an actor assuming the role of a star...

West Ender · 28-11-2008, 17:11

I like what M & S sells, their clothing (particularly underwear) and, especially, their excellent food. I internet shop with them quite often but, for food, I go to the very big store on the outskirts of Warrington, with its big, free car park, every few weeks.

I don't watch the adverts but I knew Twiggy was in them as she's in pictures in the stores. I guess the adverts cost a lot but, compared to what their profits used to be, I doubt it's excessive - just wasted on me. The only thing is, if Woolworths can go bust, is there ever any guarantee for any large store? I don't know what I'd do if Marks's closed down - go knickerless and hungry, I suppose.