# littlesteps.eu radio ad 2 'Dublin' women discussing diet of their children?



## lou2 (18 Apr 2010)

Have you heard this add yet with the 2 'Dublin' women discussing the diet of one of the women's children? This add bugs me so so much...they have 2 actresses speak in very (false) working class Dublin accents as they talk about how one of the women has changed her kids' diet following advice from a website and how they look so much better now. It bugs me because it is such a pronounced false Dublin accent immediately implying (whether intentional or not) that working class Dubs can't look after their kids dietary needs without referring to a website. It reminds me of an Eircom Phonewatch add a year or two ago which featured 2 robbers with again very (false) pronounced Dublin accents. Some of us aren't scumbags ye know!


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## MandaC (19 Apr 2010)

*Dub Accent*

Glad I am not the only one whom this is driving demented.  Its not just the (false)dodgy accents - its the content of this ad as well.  Whoever scripted it deserves a kick up the backside.

Something like....well, the little one was getting very big.....to which empty vessel number 2 replies - ah but look at them now but they are lovely lookin' kids.

Never mind the scumbag element, the 2 women sound like they havent a brain cell between them.

Rubbish ad - it came on when I was driving home the other night and I nearly rear ended the car in front trying to get rid of it.

"Inanyways",  I have never come across an accent like that....and I have heard every variation of a Dublin accent.


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## thedaras (19 Apr 2010)

It seems to be aimed at parents who do not have any clue about the basics.
Sadly there are a lot of them around..
Why would a flat Dublin accent imply scumbag?


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## lou2 (19 Apr 2010)

I meant the scumbag comment in relation to the robbers in the phonewatch add.


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## thedaras (19 Apr 2010)

It wasn't you lou2 who mentioned scumbag element!


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## Mouldy (19 Apr 2010)

Maybe they got the Fair City cast to do the ad? Dublin accents don't seem to mean much on that show either


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## haminka1 (19 Apr 2010)

Honestly, I hate all ads aimed at mums or women - mostly because the women in them talk like the last brain cell in their skulls died of loneliness years ago. 
There is an ad for some seafood stuff /I think I managed to blockout the name of the company/ ending with "they are too busy eating" which I just couldn't stand, the woman sounds so artificial and awful, you'd like to slap her just to shut her up /looks like just thinking about the ad increases my aggression levels/.


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## MandaC (19 Apr 2010)

thedaras said:


> It wasn't you lou2 who mentioned scumbag element!



I was referring to Lou's post ....."some of us are not scumbags ye know!"

BTW - I have a pronounced Dublin accent!


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## gipimann (19 Apr 2010)

The littlesteps advert featuring the fathers is just as irritating - both are over-done Dub accents too.


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## gabsdot (19 Apr 2010)

These ads really annoys me too. The implication is that only 'working class Dublin' families have fat unhealthy children.


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## Green (19 Apr 2010)

gabsdot said:


> These ads really annoys me too. The implication is that only 'working class Dublin' families have fat unhealthy children.


 
I have not heard the ad yet must look out for it. Health research has shown that the lower the socio economic class the less likely they are to heed health promotion messages.


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## doubledeb (19 Apr 2010)

Thats because its cheaper to eat unhealthily.  Processed foods, ready meals etc., What they should be promoting is how to make healthy meals for those on a budget (jamie oliver and his adds for sainsburys springs to mind, feed 4 for a fiver). There are so many recipies out there but hard to find if you don't have access to the net or the knowledge of how to cook....


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## haminka1 (19 Apr 2010)

doubledeb said:


> Thats because its cheaper to eat unhealthily.  Processed foods, ready meals etc., What they should be promoting is how to make healthy meals for those on a budget (jamie oliver and his adds for sainsburys springs to mind, feed 4 for a fiver). There are so many recipies out there but hard to find if you don't have access to the net or the knowledge of how to cook....



the funny thing is, cooking from scratch and healthy won't cost you a fortune and doesn't take that long - i have a small baby and still manage to cook from scratch and even bake my own bread - wouldn't touch any of the ready made sauces or pizzas with a stick, you never know what's inside and all the "organic" and whatever stuff is really expensive /overpriced/


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## AgathaC (19 Apr 2010)

I hate that ad, both the male and female version of it make me cringe.


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## doubledeb (19 Apr 2010)

haminka1 said:


> the funny thing is, cooking from scratch and healthy won't cost you a fortune and doesn't take that long - i have a small baby and still manage to cook from scratch and even bake my own bread - wouldn't touch any of the ready made sauces or pizzas with a stick, you never know what's inside and all the "organic" and whatever stuff is really expensive /overpriced/


 

I agree but only when you have the know how. My point is they should be promoting that, not going on about some fat kids. As in "This is how you do it and this is how much it costs". You would be amazed at the fact some people don't know how to boil an egg! So its just easier to go to the chipper!


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## ajapale (19 Apr 2010)

Would you have a problem with the ad if it were genuine working class Dublin Actors who were doing the voices?


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## doubledeb (19 Apr 2010)

To be honest being from cork, I would think the accent thing is only upsetting if you are from dublin and know what area the accent is from? They could be from D4 for all I know, I think the issue here is how it is scripted not spoken as such.


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## MandaC (19 Apr 2010)

*Corniest Ad Ever*

To ajapale, I have a problem with the overall cornyness of the ad....the actual script.  That accent is not from any area of Dublin, so I would not say its working class,  it is makey up, so to speak and that is actually even more annoying.  Reminds me of Twink in Panto or something.  


Ha ha at Haminka - that Nolans Seafood is actually evil too.......something about Wisteria Lane and they are too busy eating, ......I buy a fair bit of Nolans, but that add put me off.

I've never heard the father ones....guess I have that to look forward to as well.


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## haminka1 (20 Apr 2010)

oh, some more ads which are driving me crazy, this time on TV : 
most UK ads on insurance : go compare drives me crazy, hope this guy has an accident and loses his voice forever
injury lawyers - there is this self-righteous snotty jerk "making us something perfectly clear" - hope for the same fate as the guy from the go compare ad - please please could somebody punch this guy in his jerky face and make him shut up?

love the compare the market though, the meerkat idea with those little stories of his ancestors is totally sweet


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## Kine (20 Apr 2010)

haminka1 said:


> love the compare the market though, the meerkat idea with those little stories of his ancestors are totally sweet


 

That add was a "pure win" 

The team who thought it up aer bloody clever. Unfortunately, go compare isn't too good (yes, kill the fat opera singer...)


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## lightswitch (21 Apr 2010)

I think they are the most condescending, ill thought out ads I have ever heard, both the male and the female versions.
They are definitely attempting to achieve a flat Dublin accent effect.  They are most likely to be equity actors and are certainly, to my ear, not using anything close to their own accents. 

Whoever wrote them needs a wake up call and who ever approved them 
in littlesteps.eu should be transferred to another department (I'm assuming sacking is not an option.

On a final note look at our health minister, no flat Dublin accent there........


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## Caveat (21 Apr 2010)

lightswitch said:


> They are definitely attempting to achieve a flat Dublin accent effect. They are most likely to be equity actors and are certainly, to my ear, not using anything close to their own accents.


 
Well that's generally what actors do 

I haven't heard this advert - is it that it is annoying or that it is inauthentic that is the problem for everyone? Dublin certainly isn't unique in being represented by poorly mimicked accents in the media.

Accents from outside Dublin represented on radio or TV ads tend to be either 1) Cork - and usually badly done. or 2) "country" - whatever that means - and usually from nowhere in particular by the sounds of it.


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## lightswitch (21 Apr 2010)

Caveat, you would have to hear it to believe it.   I haven't actually heard it over the past few days so its possible they got a lot of complaints and pulled it.  I dont have a dublin accent myself but it gave me a very uncomfortable feeling, a bit like if they had  used any other "ethnic" accent.  An ad like this one needs a generic accent otherwise it can be perceived as suggesting that one particular group are the ones being targeted.


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## annR (21 Apr 2010)

They probably are trying to target one particular group - lower socio economic.



> Research in Ireland shows that those in the lower social classes are more likely to be overweight or obese


 
from http://www.healthyfoodforall.com/documents/2010-03-05_JOCOpeningStatement.pdf

Using the accent is probably an attempt to make it more successful and maybe it does for all I know.


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## MandaC (21 Apr 2010)

I have a Dublin accent and am certainly not lower socio economic class.

The point about these accents are they are no accent - they are just so odd, nobody speaks like that, they are a false flat Dublin accent.

I dont think Dubs would be offended, they would just say, what a rubbish take off of a working class Dublin accent.

I hate the ads, hate the script, they are just so corny.


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## Caveat (21 Apr 2010)

MandaC said:


> The point about these accents are they are no accent - they are just so odd, nobody speaks like that, they are a false flat Dublin accent.


 
Yeah OK but 



Caveat said:


> ...Accents from outside Dublin represented on radio or TV ads tend to be either 1) Cork - and usually badly done. or 2) *"country" - whatever that* *means - and usually from nowhere in particular by the sounds of it*.


 


lightswitch said:


> ...An ad like this one needs a generic accent otherwise it can be perceived as suggesting that one particular group are the ones being targeted.


 
What is a generic accent?

Sounds to me like what I was saying above. But maybe I'm wrong.


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## MandaC (21 Apr 2010)

I dont think they are meant to be generic - they are supposed to be Dublin accents, just not good ones.


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## Purple (21 Apr 2010)

I have heard the ads and they are very annoying but I also accept that they are being targeted at the right people. The argument that people feed their kids processed junk food because it’s cheaper doesn’t stand up. I do all the cooking in my house and its far cheaper to cook from scratch. The argument that people feed their kids processed junk food because they have not been taught to cook also doesn’t stand up. If you can read you can cook. People feed their kids processed junk food because they are lazy and/or stupid and just don’t care about them enough to look after them properly.

BTW, most ads are aimed at selling things to women so they are often condescending to women by being overtly sexist towards men. If ads were as sexist towards women there would be uproar.


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## Green (21 Apr 2010)

MandaC said:


> I have a Dublin accent *and am certainly not lower socio economic class*.


 

Sorry MandaC but I read your comment and I immediately thought of....

[broken link removed]


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## thedaras (21 Apr 2010)

There are many Dublin accents..
D4 accents, townie accents, working class accents, middle of the road accents.

I don't know where these people are trained but they would need to stop paying for the voice coaches as all the accents from Dublin are appalling,fair city is one example.


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## lightswitch (21 Apr 2010)

Yea, a generic accent is one that sounds like it is from no where in particular, therefore can offend few and in theory appeal to many.

The way I look at the representation of the flat Dublin accents in these ads would be a bit like if UK radio stations broadcast the same ads using Irish accents.  Or if they had used "foreign national" accents, but that would have caused uproar, and rightly so.

Purples comment with regard to them "targeting the right people with their use of accent" reflects the thinking of the people who approved the ad.  Very bad taste and extreme snobbery in my opinion.  

In fact people who eat out from a main menu and use the Childrens menu, ie, Chicken nugggets / Sausage and chips for their kids instead of smaller portions of the main menu need to be targeted by these ads.  The vast majority of these people do not have flat Dublin accents.


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## Purple (21 Apr 2010)

lightswitch said:


> Purples comment with regard to them "targeting the right people with their use of accent" reflects the thinking of the people who approved the ad.  Very bad taste and extreme snobbery in my opinion.


 Speaking as someone from a part of Dublin where people speak with a "skanger" accent it would be easy to take offence at the ad but that would be to .



lightswitch said:


> In fact people who eat out from a main menu and use the Childrens menu, ie, Chicken nugggets / Sausage and chips for their kids instead of smaller portions of the main menu need to be targeted by these ads.


 I agree with you there; if we give our children a taste for fat and salt at an early age we are asking for trouble.


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## Padraigb (22 Apr 2010)

Purple said:


> ... The argument that people feed their kids processed junk food because they have not been taught to cook also doesn’t stand up. If you can read you can cook. People feed their kids processed junk food because they are lazy and/or stupid and just don’t care about them enough to look after them properly...



I know some literate people who are terrible cooks.

On the substantive point: there are many people who don't have a clue how to cook, and who don't even realise that it is not very difficult. To such people, a cookbook is about as intimidating as a DIY manual for neurosurgery. It would be a good thing is such people were encouraged to try cookery, and it would also be worth bringing home to them how, if you can cook, you can feed a family a healthier diet and save money at the same time.

When I shop, I buy ingredients. It saddens me to see people who appear not to be well off spending their limited money on meals and snack foods of dubious quality.


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## lightswitch (22 Apr 2010)

"Speaking as someone from a part of Dublin where people speak with a "skanger" accentit would be easy to take offence at the ad but that would be to ."

Not sure what your comment above actually means purple, are you from such a part of Dublin?

Had a look at your link and it made me reconsider some previously held beliefs that some politicans, bankers etc were overpaid. Clearly they are from a low socio economic background and are overweight for that reason .


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## Purple (22 Apr 2010)

lightswitch said:


> Not sure what your comment above actually means purple, are you from such a part of Dublin?


 Yes, when I said "Speaking as someone from a part of Dublin where people speak with a "skanger" accent" I meant that I was from an area where people speak with a skanger accent. Sorry for not being clearer...



lightswitch said:


> Had a look at your link and it made me reconsider some previously held beliefs that some politicans, bankers etc were overpaid. Clearly they are from a low socio economic background and are overweight for that reason .


 That's right, general tendencies can be invalidated by specific examples. If I said that Dutch people were generally very tall I presume the presentation of one small Dutch person would, in your view, invalidate the generalised observation. (BTW, while there are indeed some short Dutch people they are as a nation, on average, the tallest people in the world.)


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## Purple (22 Apr 2010)

Padraigb said:


> I know some literate people who are terrible cooks.


 So do I.



Padraigb said:


> On the substantive point: there are many people who don't have a clue how to cook, and who don't even realise that it is not very difficult. To such people, a cookbook is about as intimidating as a DIY manual for neurosurgery. It would be a good thing is such people were encouraged to try cookery, and it would also be worth bringing home to them how, if you can cook, you can feed a family a healthier diet and save money at the same time.


 I don’t agree that it’s that big a deal to learn to cook. If your kids are fat and you don’t have enough money at the end of the week because you re buying junk food and ready meals then get up off your backside and learn to cook. It’s not hard.



Padraigb said:


> When I shop, I buy ingredients. It saddens me to see people who appear not to be well off spending their limited money on meals and snack foods of dubious quality.


 Same here.


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## lightswitch (22 Apr 2010)

I'm starting to worry for you Purple, there really is no need to drag Dutch people into the discussion, that is unless they are tall and Fat .

Anyway at least we all agree that it is a crap ad, that's something.


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## Purple (22 Apr 2010)

lightswitch said:


> I'm starting to worry for you Purple, there really is no need to drag Dutch people into the discussion, that is unless they are tall and Fat .
> 
> Anyway at least we all agree that it is a crap ad, that's something.



I take it from that you accept my general point.


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## lightswitch (22 Apr 2010)

Nope, don't accept your general point at all.


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## Purple (22 Apr 2010)

lightswitch said:


> Nope, don't accept your general point at all.



Ok, I can only present you with the facts. If you choose to ignore them there's not much more to say.

From [broken link removed] from Combat Poverty;
_"*Obesity Determinants in Irish Society – A Poverty Perspective*
A recent study on food poverty and policy in Ireland commissioned by Combat
Poverty, Crosscare and the Society of St Vincent de Paul (Conlon and Friel, 2004)5highlights the close relationship between health, nutrition and socio-economic status.
The findings of this study draw attention to the particular vulnerability of sociallydisadvantaged groups to food poverty, and related conditions such as malnutritionand obesity."_


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## Complainer (22 Apr 2010)

lou2 said:


> .they have 2 actresses speak in very (false) working class Dublin accents


Haven't heard the ad in question, but this is my pet hate. Regular offenders include David Norris, Twink, Maureen Potter, Niall Tobin and a new generation of thespians and voiceover artists following this miserable tradition, and doing it really badly.


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## MandaC (22 Apr 2010)

Complainer, you have hit the nail on the head there - Twink and her "Rose Violet" or dirty dusting or whatever it is accent is what the ads sound like.


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## lightswitch (23 Apr 2010)

http://journalist.ie/2010/04/little...find quite a lot of people agree with me. LS.


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## Purple (23 Apr 2010)

I agree with you that the ads were badly made, I am simply pointing out that they are targeting the right demographic, if in a ham-fisted way.

I do the shopping in my house and I only buy ingredients, nothing ready cooked. We eat meat 5-6 days a week (veg/bean curry is a big favourite with the kids). Mrs Purple is far more likely to buy the cheese dippers for the kids lunches the odd time she goes shopping.

I also agree with you about the swimming pools; crazy stuff. (BTW, the article by Claire Byrne points out that _" Research shows that children from lower socio-economic backgrounds are most at risk of being overweight" _ )


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## johnd (28 Apr 2010)

Do you work full time as well Purple? if you do fair play to you as well as doing all the cooking! Bet your wife is the envy of her friends you put the rest of us to shame


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## Purple (28 Apr 2010)

johnd said:


> Do you work full time as well Purple? if you do fair play to you as well as doing all the cooking! Bet your wife is the envy of her friends you put the rest of us to shame



Thanks  (I'm still at work, waiting for a conference call)


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## ludermor (12 May 2010)

I think Mario Rosenstock may have been reading this thread.


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## Betsy Og (12 May 2010)

On the subject of annoying ads, theres the McDonalds one where they need a morning treat because one of them got a parking ticket & clamped, and the other had her car stolen because she left the keys in it.

The ad is brutal start to finish but the absolute cringe bit is at the end:

"What are we like, the pair of us"  (or in the other order, too painful to recall in full).

For yisser women out there giving out about Hunky Dory ads, this McDonalds one is far worse.


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## Mel (12 May 2010)

Betsy Og said:


> On the subject of annoying ads, theres the McDonalds one where they need a morning treat because one of them got a parking ticket & clamped, and the other had her car stolen because she left the keys in it.
> 
> The ad is brutal start to finish but the absolute cringe bit is at the end:
> 
> ...


 
yes, it's a.tro.cious.. worst i've heard in a long time.


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## Vanilla (12 May 2010)

Has anyone else heard the new one? Two men talking, one is a generic dublin accent, I think, the other- maybe midlands?


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## mathepac (12 May 2010)

Vanilla said:


> ... the other- maybe midlands?


You mean like Biffo, but  classy?


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## Caveat (12 May 2010)

ludermor said:


> I think Mario Rosenstock may have been reading this thread.


 
 er...don't get this.


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## gipimann (12 May 2010)

Caveat, Gift Grub did a couple of skit adverts based on the littlesteps radio ads this morning.


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## Purple (12 May 2010)

gipimann said:


> Caveat, Gift Grub did a couple of skit adverts based on the littlesteps radio ads this morning.


 I'm in work by then so I miss gift grub.


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## Leo (12 May 2010)

Purple said:


> I'm in work by then so I miss gift grub.


 
You can listen to it [broken link removed].
Leo


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## gipimann (12 May 2010)

The sketches that are first broadcast at approx 8.10am are repeated the following morning at about 7.20am.


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## Purple (12 May 2010)

gipimann said:


> The sketches that are first broadcast at approx 8.10am are repeated the following morning at about 7.20am.



Too late for me


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## Complainer (12 May 2010)

Leo said:


> You can listen to it [broken link removed].
> Leo


I think you missed the point.


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## ney001 (13 May 2010)

Off topic no doubt but has anyone heard the new ad for Ambrosia on the radio.  Features a mother and a 'talking cow' - good god who comes up with this childish rubbish? Makes me mad every time I hear it!


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## johnd (13 May 2010)

ney001 said:


> Off topic no doubt but has anyone heard the new ad for Ambrosia on the radio.  Features a mother and a 'talking cow' - good god who comes up with this childish rubbish? Makes me mad every time I hear it!



At least that cow has a neutral accent


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## Purple (13 May 2010)

The one that gets me is the ad for the soya milk (how to screw up your kids hormone balance in one easy step!). It is clearly an ad made for the UK market and there's no attempt to either make it neutral or change it for "Eire".


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## Leo (13 May 2010)

Complainer said:


> I think you missed the point.


 
How so? Purple is in work at the time Gift Grub is broadcast, so can't listen to it. Links to each sketch remain in place on the page I linked for a number of days after each show allowing people to listen to them at any time. I would have thought that was directly addressing the point.


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## Betsy Og (13 May 2010)

heard the ad at lunchtime, lol, the gift grub sketch was hardly stretching it at all !!!


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## Purple (13 May 2010)

Leo said:


> How so? Purple is in work at the time Gift Grub is broadcast, so can't listen to it. Links to each sketch remain in place on the page I linked for a number of days after each show allowing people to listen to them at any time. I would have thought that was directly addressing the point.


I'm on Complainer's ignore list so he can't see my posts. He can only see them when someone else quotes me so he probably didn't get what I said.


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## ney001 (13 May 2010)

Purple said:


> I'm on Complainer's ignore list so he can't see my posts. He can only see them when someone else quotes me so he probably didn't get what I said.



There's an ignore list?


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## AgathaC (13 May 2010)

Betsy Og said:


> heard the ad at lunchtime, lol, the gift grub sketch was hardly stretching it at all !!!


 True!
I know someone has also mentioned the McDonalds ads, another very irritating ad!


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## DeeFox (17 May 2010)

The original ad is so bad that when I heard the Gift grub version I genuinely thought at first that it was another ad from the same crowd...


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## censuspro (17 May 2010)

I haven't heard the ad, does anyone have a link.


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