Happy St Patrick’s Day. Why not celebrate with an ancient idea?
Happy St Patrick’s Day. Here’s a new Heineken ad to celebrate:
Seem at all familiar? That’s probably because it is.
Without wanting to spoil the ad if you haven’t watched it yet, Dr Mumbo can remember similar episodes in one of the later books in the six-part Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy trilogy, and more recently in Ian McEwan’s Solar, although on that occasion it involved crisps rather than beer.
The ad is by independent Irish agency Rothco. Initially it runs in Ireland, but will later go international too.
I believe the first story involved a packet of biscuits that Douglas Adams was eating. I guess they figured they can rip it off as he’s dead and can’t complain.
User ID not verified.
Didn’t even need to watch the clip to know exactly what you were talking about. Love to know what Rothco have to say – it is a blatant rip off.
User ID not verified.
A woman on Radio One (in the UK) won a competition with this story about ten years ago on the breakfast show, for “best confession” or some such crap (Zoe Ball era, eugh). Still, doesn’t make it a bad ad, per se. A little bit of credit or an homage to Douglas Adams (god* rest his soul) would’ve validated it – you know, a gloomy robot in the background, or a shabbily dressed man in a dressing gown with a towel on the platform.
*Yes, I know.
User ID not verified.
I reckon it is more a recreation than a rip off.
Classic scene done well.
User ID not verified.
Actually, it’s claimed that Douglas Adams (who is actually my favourite writer), ripped this story off himself from another story from 100 years ago, (click on Tim’s link for more info), but claims that it actually happened to him in real life and that’s what he based it on.
Perhaps that’s what the writer of this ad will claim. Plagiarise the story, may as well plagiarise the excuse as well…
User ID not verified.
Snopes has the history of this meme: http://www.snopes.com/crime/safety/cookies.asp
User ID not verified.
Like most advertising it’s derivative. That’s not the issue here. The issue, for my mind, is that its dreadfully predictable. Terrible spot.
User ID not verified.
Not quite sure how retelling a 100 year old urban legend can be a rip-off?
It may be lazy, though as with any story being retold, it’s in the telling.
User ID not verified.
AdGrunt is spot-on.
User ID not verified.
@ AdGrunt, I hear what you’re saying, I would just be very surprised if the writer was ripping off the 100 year old version (wouldn’t know it existed), as opposed to the Douglas Adams version.
Hell until today, I didn;t know that Douglas Adams ripped it off of a 100 year old tale (which if anyone knows where I can find that tale, please let me know, just for curiosty sake)
User ID not verified.