Nationwide Building Society's new billboard campaign is under way, with David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Little Britain, portraying 'Emily' and 'Florence', their transvestite characters. Maxine Taylor, Nationwide's Divisional Director of Corporate Affairs, responded to my letter to Nationwide by saying
The characters in 'Little Britain' are some of the best loved on British television and we do not believe they are intended to be discriminatory.
postscript: David Walliams' fansite describes this post as 'horrible'. I have responded here. This is the text of the comment I made on Mr Walliams' fansite, which was deleted.
Oh, and this is the original poster...
Best loved? I don't beleive anyone loves the characters of Little Britain. One of the best watched programs maybe, but the idea isn't that you love the chatacters surely?
ReplyDeleteLove the artwork on the billboard though.
Stace
To mangle Mandy Rice-Davies' quote: "She would say that, wouldn't she".
ReplyDeleteExcellent billboard BTW
Quick (and excellent) work!
ReplyDeleteDidn't I tell you? ;-) Excellent, Dru!
ReplyDeleteMelissa XX
I thought that it was a real one...
ReplyDeleteI'm not impressed at all with Nationwide's self-image. It's had some dodgy ads before, notably the cringy ones a year or two back where the fat and repulsive branch 'manager' treats prospective investors or mortgage-seekers with a cringe-inducing and desparately unhelpful patter that drives them away. I didn't get that. The message was wrong. It would have stopped me going anywhere near Nationwide, except that they had long ago 'hooked me in'. And in fact they are, in reality, adequately helpful and efficient.
ReplyDeleteThis current advertising campaign is an aberration. As Stace is saying, 'well known' is not the same as 'well loved', and why do Nationwide think that sensible, responsible, serious people with money to invest or save would be the same folk who guffaw at the offensive dogs vomit that is Little Britain? Sorry for the investive. It's vile of me.
Lucy
Sorry, quick reply; I see that David Walliams (or at least his blog ghost writer) has picked up this story; and I've been responding to their description of this post as 'horrible'. Gosh. New post (open letter to DW) above....
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had 'woo hoo'.. I think this comes from Little Britain doesn't it? On my way home tonight, from a couple of oriental students. I nearly ran after them and knocked them down.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it, Dru!
ReplyDeleteI don't recognise the 'woo hoo' reference, Angela, though I admit that I am not a watcher of Little Britain. Sorry you had it happen to you, though. So many people seem to have had Little Britain stuff thrown at them, though. Which seems to confirm me in my opinion that it is a Bad Thing...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Larry!