Another Fine Mess In Advertising.
Don’t you just love those compensation adverts on TV? I do. But not for any of the right reasons…
Slapstick comedy has always been very popular; that’s why Laurel and Hardy are still so damn funny. And when one of those compo claim ads comes on I thoroughly enjoy the low-budget, abysmally reconstructed tale of someone’s accident. The acting is dire, the facial expressions are hilarious and the mournful voice-over leaves my ribs aching. Perhaps I am just sick… or maybe it is because these adverts are just so downright appalling.
My personal favourite is where the guy tells us his sad tale of having a nasty fall at work. There he is, standing atop a ladder with a power drill in his hand. We watch him being busy for a few seconds, happily boring holes into something or other, when the bottom of the ladder suddenly starts to slide. The next thing we know, he is rolling around on his back like an upside down tortoise. Colleagues come rushing over to share in the man’s misery, but alas; his pain will not be eased until he has successfully sued the ass off his employer and the entire team goes through days of Soft skill training UK !
Of course, these ads aren’t anything to do with money; they are purely about the unfairly injured getting a much-deserved dollop of justice. After all, these compensation companies care about us all. How can I be so sure? Well, it is all so very evident in the condescending narrator’s voice. Oooo! I think I can smell my own sarcasm.
The other one worth watching out for is where the smartly dressed woman falls over some carelessly discarded packing tape. Seeing her writhing around on the floor in ‘agony’, cradling her poorly leg leaves me utterly helpless. It is all so staged and totally ridiculous. Do people really ring these companies after seeing one of their dumb commercials?