Thursday 25 June 2009

Thursday 25/06/09

A mural in Bristol by the famed and anonymous graffiti artist Banksy has been defaced by a pellet from a paintball gun. Locals are upset, but would Banksy approve?

I was watching that hideous advert for – oh, what’s the name of the company? Aviva – that’s it! The company that’s busy changing its well known and memorable name to an instantly forgettable one for no good reason. The latest one has Ringo at an airport bemoaning the fact that if you want his respect you shouldn’t call him by his stage name.



What I noticed was how youthful Ringo actually looks at 68 in comparison to Paul McCartney at 67, who was always considered the Peter Pan of the group.

I wonder whether home owners of the distant past had the same addiction to mock architecture as we do today. Wherever you go you see mock-Tudor or mock-Georgian (which is itself mock-Grecian). There’s that awful mock-Cotswold stone cladding that attempts (and fails spectacularly) to make 60s bungalows look like 19th century cottages. Did home owners of Tudor times go in for mock-Stone Age cladding or faux Saxon straw hovel cladding?

I have a habit of making notes about potential thoughts to post here and just looked at my latest notes from a few days ago. One says – Rolf Harris, assassin – and I haven’t a bloody clue as to what I was thinking when I wrote it. The mind of Chairman Bill is a wondrous and mysterious thing, the operation of which is beyond even The Chairman himself to comprehend.

I thought I’d just mention that a black-tailed prairie dog, which is a non-native species, has been spotted in southwest England. I have no witty social commentary about the sighting and simply thought it interesting.


12 comments:

Belle said...

I suspect there is a very good financial reason for them changing their name.Why else would they do it? I agree. It's a particularly annoying ad. Let's all respect Ringo with his full set of Louis Vuitton luggage.

Chairman Bill said...

Belle: If no-one can remember the name and it goes the same was as Accenture (what do they do now?) and Consignia (didn't they change their name back to The Post Office?) then it will certainly be for a financial reason - to lose customers.

Chairman Bill said...

Sorry - that should be Royal Mail. It get's so confusing when you're thinking of that great assassin, Rolf Harris.

♥ Braja said...

I'm interested in anything that might include Rolf Harris's assassination.

Wait...

Belle said...

It seems that it is already known as Aviva in 20 of the 27 countries it operates in. A case of trying to get a single global brand then. Midland did the same thing with HSBC.

Chairman Bill said...

Belle: You mean the Midland Bank is no more? Woe, woe and thrice woe! When did it move to Shanghai and Hong Kong? All those people being asked to move to China...

Next you'll be telling me that Martin's Bank has dissapeared. Although I did wonder why they now send me chequebooks with Barclays written all over it.

But to return to Aviva. One should not trash a well known brand name for the sake of homogeneity. The ad campaign has cost them £9m and is a disaster. Everyone knew who Norwich Union were. I confidently predict that Aviva will be no more than an unrecognisable logo in a couple of years and business will suffer. However, they could simply call the whole outfit Norwich Union.

Bugger the faceless brand, I say.

Belle said...

Well it might interest you to know, that when they did a survey recently, asking people who or what Aviva was, many people thought it had something to do with feminine hygiene. My husband regularly asks me to buy him a Marathon bar when I go to my local express.The kids think it's hilarious. I think I might ask him to buy me a box of Aviva, next time he goes. Just to confuse him. It doesn't take much.

Chairman Bill said...

Belle: A bit like Vim changing to Jif changing to Cif - the latter of which which is a venereal disease.

Chairman Bill said...

Braja: Sorry, I missed your submission. Wash your mouth out, talking like that about St Rolf.

Anonymous said...

Get your thinking cap on, Chairman Bill. I really want to know how you can put Rolf's name and the assassin word in the same note. As long as Rolf is the assassin, everything is good in my book.

Chairman Bill said...

Dave: Doubtless it will come to me in a blinding flash - as I'm blown up by Rolf Harris.

A Woman Of No Importance said...

Oh, no, Sir! The picture you have just put in my head is one I've never wanted to have in there...

Yikes!

I love Rolf, having grown up with his Learn To Swim admonitions... We have a print of his in our living room - That of the church, I think at Arles, where he has gone all Van Gogh... I believe he's a pretty talented artist - Isn't he a member of the RA now... And don't mention the bj....