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Scouting links? Cancel your Phones4U contract

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    Scouting links? Cancel your Phones4U contract

    Anyone here have links with Scouting? Son/daughter goes to the local group, been a Scouter yourself or a parent helper ?

    If so, you'll be appalled by the latest ad by Phones4U which depicts a 'Scoutmaster' (in uniform) as being a sad loser with no friends.

    http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/n...-youth-market/

    The Scout Association has worked very hard in the past few years to modernise their image and make it more attractive to today's young people, with fantastic results. With Peter Duncan and now Bear Grylls as their Chief Scout, they now have a growing membership.

    This ad doesn't do them any favours at all, which is sad. It's bordering on libellous and we don't even call leaders 'Scoutmasters' any more, so it shows how much research the Adam & Eve agency did.

    The Phones4U campaign microsite www.areyoupopular.co.uk asks for your DOB and seems to stop anyone entering the site if they are too old. I entered a fake one for a 21 year old and got a 'Proceed'. No age discrimination here then. Let's hope they keep the DoB data secure like they should do, eh?

    T*ssers.

    Rant over. Just cancel your contract - you know it's the right thing to do.
    It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. www.areyoupopular.mobi

    #2
    I am really shocked. Chap I get on the train with is a scoutmaster : I admire people who give up their spare time to help others.

    Its very very bad when those who try to make society a better place get abuse for theit trouble.

    No doubt this thread will either attract the standard cuk abuse or just get a couple of posts.......

    Comment


      #3
      This is just so typical of lazy, complacent, London-centric ad agencies.

      I have dealt with a ton of these agencies and 'Adam & Eve' are just about your typical, low-end players. Their website is all 'Twitter and shytter'. Nothing of their work to show.

      The people who work in these kind of agencies are typically very 'metro-centric', almost always under 35, 'metrosexual' grads who have done nothing else at all, except for the odd gap year in Indonesia which Daddy paid for.

      When these losers need to come up with a 'concept' they will invariably go for the obvious targets and populate their ad with stock cliches.

      If you're aiming for the youth market, then you would typically design your pitch on 'anti-marketing' (i.e. what your target market hates), because the youth market sees being against something thing as a positive.

      Today's youth are so insecure about not being 'cool' and not getting their requisite amount of 'respect', that parading a scout master (the antichrist of cool and respect and possibly a peadophile) will get them on message pretty fast.

      So, Adam & Eve are crude but probably effective (sadly).

      It is a shame.

      You've come right out the other side of the forest of irony and ended up in the desert of wrong.

      Comment


        #4
        They probably see scoutmasters as a threat. Phones4U hate anybody promoting alternative forms of communication, such as semaphore or tracking signs made out of twigs.

        Comment


          #5
          What's not cool about socks with sandals?
          The court heard Darren Upton had written a letter to Judge Sally Cahill QC saying he wasn’t “a typical inmate of prison”.

          But the judge said: “That simply demonstrates your arrogance continues. You are typical. Inmates of prison are people who are dishonest. You are a thoroughly dishonestly man motivated by your own selfish greed.”

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by BrilloPad View Post
            I am really shocked. Chap I get on the train with is a scoutmaster : I admire people who give up their spare time to help others.

            Its very very bad when those who try to make society a better place get abuse for theit trouble.

            No doubt this thread will either attract the standard cuk abuse or just get a couple of posts.......
            WHS +1
            Public Service Posting by the BBC - Bloggs Bulls**t Corp.
            Officially CUK certified - Thick as f**k.

            Comment


              #7
              Never been one to let advertising affect me (I know my mind too well) however I've never really been impressed with any phones4u ad I've seen.

              The last one with the annoying american and the freaks just pissed me off.

              Their shops, at least locally, look shabby.

              Hence, I've never been in their premises let alone spent money with them.

              This campaign will not change my mind
              'elf and safety guru

              Comment


                #8
                The issue isn't going to go away anytime soon.

                The Scouts have started building up some indignance; http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10859

                I've already filed a complaint with the ASA. Here is a handy link for anyone who wants to do the same. It doesn't take long and of course it's free; http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_com...omplaints_form

                Or feel free to send comments to [email protected] or [email protected]
                Last edited by oraclesmith; 12 June 2009, 23:58. Reason: Additional info
                It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. www.areyoupopular.mobi

                Comment


                  #9
                  I helped out at local scouts for a while. Enuff said.
                  bloggoth

                  If everything isn't black and white, I say, 'Why the hell not?'
                  John Wayne (My guru, not to be confused with my beloved prophet Jeremy Clarkson)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by xoggoth View Post
                    I helped out at local scouts for a while. Enuff said.
                    I'm a Scout leader. It can be tough juggling work, family and Scouting. But like anything, the more you put in, the more you get out.

                    More importantly, I'm 38, married with 2 kids and can't get a phones4u contract so that probably means the advert is pretty accurate...
                    Illegitimus non carborundum est!

                    Comment

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