Now we have been forced to watch digital television, for many men, this means seeing quite a lot of Channel 12 - Dave. It's not as good as Ceefax but now we have no choice.
Dave have brilliantly worked out that if they buy every episode of Top Gear, it fills the schedule with stuff that people will watch no matter how far into the programme they arrive. Since every time I flick through the channels, every one of them seems to be showing adverts (it's not just me, how do they do it ?), it's as good a place to stop as any.
Dave's motoring programmes are sponsored by Halfords. Not a problem you might think except that the latest little adverts at the sides of the commerical break are taking the mickey out of people who upload videos to YouTube showing how to perform simple tasks on your car. Changing a light bulb seems to be thier main target.
The films show the people making these helpful videos to be bumbling ameatuers. Everything goes wrong.
The message is: Don't learn how to do basic tasks on your car, take it to Halfords and pay us to do them.
Which, of course, I think is wrong. Motorists should know how to do the basic stuff. Changing a cam belt, fair enough, leave it to a mechanic who knows what he is doing. Changing a bulb, you ought to be able to do it yourself. Bulbs fail at places other than the car park of your local shopping centre and technically, you shouldn't be driving without a full compliment of them. Even if you don't think the Highway Code applys to you, remember that it's an easy way for a bored copper to get some scores on the board.
Also, you reply on your car. Why wouldn't you want to have an idea of some of the basics ?
Anyway, I'm sure Halfords techies can change a bulb and all the other stuff they are supposed to do. Well, apart from the time we took a car in and watched the bill spiral as they replaced the radiator and stuff. A Grease monkey mechanic would have probably fixed the thing. Always pick a mechanic with a scruffy workshop. Ability is inversly proportional to cleanliness in my experience.
Also, if I'd bought my battery from Halfords, the thing would have been rattling around in the box as the official one is too small in my opinion. Read more.
Anyway, Halfords, tell your marketing monkeys to stop taking the p**s out of people trying to help others. You are a fine and useful store to have around so there is no need for it.
Note: I couldn't find any of hte current films on the web so I linked to an old version on YouTube. I chose it because there is a VeeDub van in it. Amoung other things.
5 comments:
On most channels the adverts are scheduled for the same time slot. This basically forces you to watch 3-5 minutes of advertising.
Halfords are obviously going to suggest that you 'go to the experts' rather than try some basic maintenance on your own and save money. I think anyone, man or women, with a bit of savvy will ignore this advert and avoid Halfords like the plague.
Well said Phil. Mind you this is hardly new: businesses have been slagging off people for trying to be independent or different for a long time: how many car ads try to show cyclists as eco-ninnies who need to grow up?
Our solution was to throw the TV out.
In Canada, we seem to have competing commercials: The folks who think you can do everything yourself (and you need a lot of equipment for that) and the folks who think you can't do anything.
Luckily for me, the commercials are just long enough to get away from the TV for a beverage.
Well said Phil.
Unfortunately we live in a throw away world. I dread to think how much fixable stuff ends up in landfill. Criminal! Young people these days have no practical skills at all, just pay through the nose for someone else to do the simplest of jobs!
There was a camper van in that advert?
Big Mac - Yes there is, you just have to look very carefully. Can I suggest you watch it again a few times ? For research obvioulsy.
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