Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Hard Sell: Virgin Media

'But as the camera hovers outside windows like a lovely, lovely peeping tom, what is it we see?'

Lovely, lovely Virgin Media. Just look at those beautiful wide shots of the city, living rooms twinkling in the twilight, the whole soothing scene narrated by a voiceover man plucked from the box of Reassuringly Unthreatening Regional Accents. He recites the lyrics to Madness' Our House over the beat of Dan Black's HYPNTZ, transforming it from a chirpy ska toot-a-long to languid elegy, and everything is cosy and warm and British and friendly and lovely. Just like Virgin Media. Lovely, lovely Virgin Media. But as the camera hovers outside windows like a lovely, lovely peeping tom, what is it we see? A naked man ironing his pants while chatting on the phone, probably to his mum ? the pervert; a raucous "Skins party" that Bebo knows all about but Dad most certainly won't; and a lady on her laptop while she's doing a poo. Let's hope she's on BBC News and not Skype. At least the last couple we see, about to get down to sex business, are wise enough to close their curtains.

In this ad, Virgin Media might be trying to tell you that its digital entertainment empire makes your world A More Exciting Place To Live, but what it's ended up saying is: we're watching you. All of those disgusting things you would only do in the privacy of your own home? We know about them. We are outside your windows and inside your house. We can see you on the toilet. We know where your mum lives. We can see you having a hormone-related sob to a real-life story on Lorraine Kelly's morning show. And neither frosted glass nor curtains ? not even lovely, lovely curtains ? can keep us out.

See the ad here


guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/mar/05/the-hard-sell-virgin-media

radio advertising chicago advertising agencies tv advertising marketing help

No comments:

Post a Comment