Pass The A-Tissues!

At a reported £320k for a 30 second slot at half-time during last night’s Champion’s League Final, ITV decided to promote An Audience With Neil Diamond. Now I’m a huge fan of The Jazz Singer. I was brought up on his music, have seen him in concert twice and am going again in June to watch him pour more love over those rocks…..

But wasn’t that a strange decision? Were they figuring on driving the middle-aged demographic to the show and making more money? Is that how it works? Or did they just not sell the slot? Help! I’m an online guy!

While Chelsea fans wept at the result, The BBC 1 Apprentices were tasked to come up with a new brand and TV commercial for a box of anti-bacterial tissues that John Terry could have done with!

Pitching their campaign to “ad men” from Ogilvy, Raef’s team tried an understated approach which back-fired. Picking Sian Lloyd as a “wholesome…motherly” figure was a mistake and a decision trashed by Sian herself when she suggested the boys should have Googled her.

I did…….and she was right!

I thought “I Love My Tissues” was an OK name, but I’m not sure it needs to be spelled out that I’m about to embark on a relationship with a brand.

Sugar asked Raef what he thought of the other team’s “Attishu” campaign which was pretty in your face……..or nose in this case!

“It lacked any kind of subtlety – you don’t have to go to extreme measures and treat your audience like idiots”

Really?

In the taxi home having been fired, he came out fighting, “It was vulgar and incredibly patronising but if that’s what advertising is about these days then god help us!”

Mate have you ever heard of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!” or seen any Ronseal ads?

Sometimes an ad has to say exactly what it does on the tin!