Ogilvy & Mather developed the 'Reasons To Believe' campaign in 2013 to be used worldwide to promote Coca Cola, with the exact footage and wording differing from territory to territory. The press attention the advert received in the UK was mostly around how the Irish version of the ad had switched the gay marriage scene for one of an interracial marriage.
I couldn't find a full version of the UK advert on YouTube.
Not much of interest to report. I had Healthier Scrutiny committee, but I've not been very healthy myself! This weekend especially I've just wanted to curl up in a ball. I have so much stuff I need to catch up on so hopefully I'm going to wake up feeling human tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!
☆ WATCHING: Anthony's been watching Fraiser, so I've had to see a lot of it too. It's okay, way better than the more modern US sitcoms he insists we watch.
☆ EATING: I had some Space Raiders the other day. Blast from the past!
☆ REVIEWING: N/A.
My posting every day pledge was falling seriously behind, so I've decided to cross-post my queer history posts from Tumblr to the blog. It means I have less to write overall, and it's easier to archive and find things here than it is on Tumblr.
This 2003 advert for Marmite spread - you either love it or hate it - attracted 71 complaints. The ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) deemed it to be inoffensive and it continued to air without restriction. The ITC (Ofcom’s predecessor) ruled that the kiss was a “clearly jokey scenario” and did not portray “homosexual intimacy or indeed sexual or romantic activity of any sort.”
Marmite claimed that this was the first same-sex kiss in UK advertising, but there had been a few before it.
Thomas Cook, one of the best known travel agencies in the UK, launched a ‘bold and contemporary’ ad just in time for Christmas 2016, featuring a same sex kiss and a family with two dads.
Jamie Queen, marketing director for Thomas Cook Group and UK, told Marketing Week: “I think marketers can always do more to represent the needs of the consumer and that’s what we’ve tried to do with the gay kiss. It comes down to the needs of our customers and addressing a modern population.”
I haven’t seen anything in the media about complaints being received, which suggests there haven’t been significant numbers.
In just a few three second gifs this kind of sums up why 'go forth and punch a Nazi' is hardly as straightforward a sentiment as it might first appear. How do we define Nazi - is an underage teenager who spouts right wing opinion as ripe for physical assault as an adult who organizes Neo-Nazi marches?
Then there's the sticky question of whether just anyone can punch a Nazi. If a straight white male police officer - some would argue the very definition of 'privilege' - is provoked, does it make it acceptable for him to punch a person in custody? Or is it only okay if he did it on the street and out of uniform, for everyone to witness? What consequences, if any, should the puncher face? Who gets to say where the tipping point is for equal redress under the law to longer apply?
Finally, that last gif really points to the most hardhitting reality. Vile views don't spring up fully formed in the minds of those who hold them. They're planted, they're nutured, and, ultimately, do we believe that challenging them with more violence can ever truly rid the world of them?
Barclays became the first UK bank to feature a same sex couple in a TV ad in 2012. They have been the headline sponsor of Pride in London and are recognised as one of the country’s most supportive LGBT+ employers - its in-house ‘Spectrum’ network has over 3,000 members.
There was little interest in the story from the mainstream press, although various LGBT+ publications ran interviews with the real life couple who starred in the ad. Eg. from Gay Star News:
When Barclays decided to include a gay couple in their new personalized debit card commercial in the UK, they didn’t just hire two actors. Instead they picked Niki Mahona, 23, outside his job at London’s famous Selfridges department store. And they gave him and his 19-year-old real-life boyfriend, Luis Donegan-Brown – who also works at Selfridges – a taste of fame.
The couple have only been together for just over a year but now they have the claim to fame of being one of the very few same-sex partnerships ever depicted in a British mainstream TV commercial. And it’s been a success – so far an incredible 300,000 Barclays customers have personalized their debit cards. With the help of Barclays LGBT Spectrum network, we found out more.
How did you come to be involved in the personalised debit card advert?
Everything happened so quickly, Luis and I were ‘street cast’ on 15 August and by the 24 August we were in Holborn Studio having still shots done for the photo booth scene and then on 31 August we were on location in Tollington Square, London, for the live shoot.
What was it like?
The whole experience felt awesome. We were just told to be ourselves and not to overplay.
For the still shots, Luis and I were just fooling around against the blue screen, giving piggybacks and being silly. It quickly becomes clear what does and doesn’t work and I think they were pleased with the end result.
There was a really good atmosphere at the shoot with pumping music so it was easy for them to capture our personalities in this way. It all felt natural apart from the excessive smiling – my jaw was sore at the end of the day!
What was the most memorable thing about taking part?
Definitely the wow factor when we saw our printed card for the first time. It sounds corny, but it was magical. I was like ‘oh my God, I want a card like that!’
It’s not just made me want to bank with Barclays, I want to come and work for Barclays! I have been so impressed by everyone I’ve met; all the frontline colleagues seemed like best friends.
How do you feel about being a visible gay person in a TV advert?
I feel really proud. I am proud that I can be open about my sexuality and not shy away from comments. For many people who aren’t able to come out, I would hope that this might help plant the seed in their mind that they too can be open.
Some viewers have commented that because there was no kiss, it’s not clear enough that you are a gay couple. What would you say to them?
When we were filming, this subject did come up, but we shouldn’t have to kiss. Men and women shown cuddling are assumed to be in a couple, so why can’t it be the same for us? Sex sells in advertising, but emotion stays; I think that’s what you remember as a viewer.
What do you get up to when you’re not starring in TV ads?
This was a first! I’m an assistant manager in Selfridges, but my passion is singing. I am from Denmark and I used to have a band there. I tried to do the same here, but there’s just not enough time; London’s a busy place to live.
The experience of appearing in the Barclays commercial has motivated me to do more in the acting space, so you may see more of me again in the future – watch this space!
I really loved this 2013 advert for NatWest bank featuring twins who are similar in some ways, but opposite in others. There was no fanfare over its release, and little mainstream media interest. Just a sweet ad that invariably threw people on the first watch - you think she’s leading a super secret spy double life or something until they meet up in the coffee shop!
This week we're talking about gifts, the kind you get for new arrivals, and just how strange some of them can be.
Shower visors! I actually bought one of these before Marianna was born and we never used it. It's one of those things that seems like a great idea until you realise you're more likely to be pouring a little bit of water with your hand, not blasting your baby's head with a shower head, and getting it on will probably be more trouble than the few seconds of rinsing.
Baby headbands with fake hair. You can get them with fringes (bangs), or little pigtails, or even full on wigs. I actually won one of these for 1p in a round of eBay Bargain Hunt and it was totally bemusing. I tried peeling off the hair so we could actually use the hairband but it did not want to come loose!
Snot suckers! These can be useful but the idea is just so nauseating. Especially when you can get little bulbous ones that you pump instead of having any connection between your mouth and your child's snot...
Branded baby trainers. Don't get me wrong, these are super cute! Just so crazy expensive and impractical when you consider they will only be able to wear them for a couple of weeks. Besides, if people want to buy shoes, mummy's always a grateful recipient... ;)
A/N: The Snowflake Challenge is an annual fandom event, run over on Dreamwidth. In fandom circles 'speshul snowflake' is something of a derogatory term. The challenge basically seeks to reclaim the term, and turn it into something positive by encouraging people to celebrate their own involvement in fandom.
Although the challenge runs from January 1st - 15th, it's low pressure and you can come back and complete it at any time. I still have a few days to finish off myself...
To celebrate the return of Gotham - seriously US TV is so weird, one season is like the length of 3 or 4 combined but they don't even have Christmas specials! - here is the 30 Day Fandom Challenge. Consolidated into one post, because that's how I roll.
Day #1. First Encounter With This Series
Anthony has made me watch all the DCTV. Unlike Flash, Arrow, etc, I actually got into this one because it didn't take itself too seriously. It's so over the top and melodramatic, but it just revels in it.
Day #2. The Moment That Made You Fall in Love with this Series
Probably about the time Ed Nygma was introduced as the ME's assistant. I'm a huge sucker for police procedurals and murder mysteries, and 'kooky forensic pathologist' is my absolute favourite character trope.
Day #3. Favourite Female Character
Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman. She's very cool!
Day #4. Favourite Male Character
It has to be the Penguin. He's a great character - evil and scheming, but still kind of tragic. You feel sorry for him even when he's murdering some innocent bystander for a sandwich, and that's a pretty difficult feat to pull off.
Day #5. Favourite Romance
It was Jim Gordon / Penguin but I switched ship for Jim / Harvey. ♡
Seriously, Bullock is either desperately in love with Jim or that masochistic streak they gave him in the tie-in novel is so wide he lives for Jim trampling all over him.
Day #6. Favourite Quote
"I never lose sleep over my enemies. It's my friends that keep me awake." - Falcone.
Day #7. Best Plot Twist
Gotham isn't really very subtle about what it's doing, so this is a difficult question to answer. I'm hoping it will turn out Isabella's existence was more complicated than random doppelganger of the ex Ed murdered, but time will tell.
Day #8. Least Favourite Romance
The literally neverending saga of Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins. They just need to get together or get over it, seriously.
Day #9. Funniest Moment
I dunno, but it probably involved Victor Zsasz.
Day #10. Saddest Moment
Penguin's mum getting killed in front of him. :(
Day #11. Something You Wish Hadn’t Happened
Ed turning to the dark side. It had to happen, I know, but I wish he had fought it longer. That would have made for interesting TV.
Day #12. Something You Wished Would Happen But Never Did
Kind of like the previous point, it's more that I wish we had seen more of something. Namely Jim's time in Blackgate. Being a cop in prison is never easy, and mostly I would love to have seen it break Jim down over a few episodes rather than the few minutes of screen time it actually got before Harvey busted him out of there.
Day #13. Favourite Location
The Sirens, Barbara's nightclub is very swank with lots of deco styling. I hope Penguin is taking notes for the Iceberg Lounge.
Day #14. Favourite Villain
Fish Mooney is my fave villain in the show. Jada Pinkett Smith is always awesome, and the character is way more hardcore than most of Gotham's villains. There's no way you'd catch her crying over an unrequited crush.
Day #15. Predictions for the Future
It all depends whether they get renewed for a fourth season, really, but... the introduction of Babs (Batgirl) and / or Jim Jnr. Come on, Jim, you ain't getting any younger! Or, Jim could meet the real love of his life:
I loved the Cobblepot for Mayor posters! Penguin got fake tanned, teeth whitened, and pancake foundationed to within an inch of his life.
Day #17. The Character You Love To Hate
Sal Maroni. He was a great character and reminded me a lot of Tony Soprano, playing the fool then flipping the tables in a moment and becoming your worst nightmare.
Day #18. The Top Three Things on Your To-Do List if You Suddenly Found Yourself in the Series
1. Talk to the GCPD about remodelling the station. Villain shoot outs in the bullpen? This is why the front desk doesn't (shouldn't) give easy public access to the rest of the building, duh.
2. Ridding the city of mutant reanimated corpses is always going to be a vote winner, but it's hardly a comprehensive manifesto. I want to see Mayor Pengy put to task over Gotham's real problems; even Jim Gordon goes around littering the city's sidewalks.
3. Talk about what Gotham really needs... Not a hero but some better regulated forensic psychiatric services. Let's say in 15 years time Batman has 99 problems, funneling some more cash into this could solve 94 of those right now. (The rest are just what you get when you wear your y-fronts over your tights, fyi.)
Day #19. What Is Your Fandom Talking About Right Now?
The Penguin falling in love with Riddler.
Penguin was heavily coded as gay right from the beginning but I had doubts they would ever raise it from the subextual to the actual. I'm glad they took the plunge though, and 'Nygmobblepot' - what a name! - is proving every bit as dysfunctional as you might imagine.
Day #20. A Moment That Made You Question Whether You Would Continue Watching…
When Alfred - of all people - punched Selina. Batman has been through so many iterations you can't really argue anything is less canonical than anything else but, still. I maintain that no version of Alfred would be cool with punching a fourteen-year-old girl in the face. Ugh.
Day #21. Your Favourite Episode
S1:E15 'The Scarecrow'. Dr Gerald Crane has been working on a serum which will cure people of their fears. Unfortunately he is also batshit and doesn't care who dies along the journey - he injects his own son with a huge dose towards the end of the episode, leaving him to endless hallucinations of terrifying scarecrows. (Worzel Gummidge on steroids, peeps.) Seriously though, it's actually quite scary.
The episode also features Ed being an adorable geek, some father figure - son bonding between Bruce and Alfred, Fish acting like a badass, Jim freaking out about Lee's propensity for PDAs, and the Penguin being hopelessly transparent in love...
Day #22. The Character You’d Want as a Drinking Buddy
Harvey Bullock, of course. I mean, if there's anything Bullock is good at, it's drinking.
Day #23. The Best Fandom Merchandise
Diamond Select do a range of 1/10 scale action figures. The actor likenesses aren't the best - read more about that in my GCPD miniatures post - but they're not totally off the mark either and do come with some cool backdrop accessories. Barbara's Arkham entrance sign was a thing of beauty, immediately stolen by my Mezco Joker, and I still need to pick up a Hugo Strange for his cool chair.
Day #24. The Character You Find Most Relatable
Jim Gordon, I guess. He's the good guy, the main character, and the one you're supposed to be relating to, after all. He's also a glass half empty kind of guy. If something isn't going to make you miserable, Jim Gordon doesn't think it's worth doing.
Not quite as sure why everyone in the show finds that so irresistable though...
Day #25. Favourite Object / Prop
Uniforms. Perhaps I just answered my last question.
Day #26. Favourite Costume
Late S1 Penguin had it going on. The crossover tie is clearly due a comeback.
Also, Lee's wedding dress was very pretty in the mid season three finale:
Day #27. Rec a Fanvid
Some really cool editing in this vid by Studio Sagittarius - their summary is: 'What happens when a psychopath falls in love with you and won't take no for an answer? Nothing good.'
Day #28. Favourite Plot Climax
Butch and Penguin killing Galavan (again) with a rocket launcher was kind of a highlight...
Day #29. Favourite Screencap
Look, the Mad Hatter made himself a hat! <3
Day #30. Will Anything Ever Replace this Series for You?
I'll move on to the next shiny thing eventually, I'm sure, but it won't replace it in my ~heart!
