God's Direct Line Gone!

The poster at the Trim bus shelter advertising God's Direct Line (Tuesday 10 Feb post) has been replaced by another advertising the same service.

This is more like advertising as we know it - bland, cliched, uninteresting, dispiriting - using images and references which are so overused and unimaginative that the use of the cliches in advertising is itself a cliche. The image is ridiculous without being amusing - the coat and hat from the first half of the last century with the glass which relates to the end of the century before last. And the car?

No not in a bad mood today just dislike having to look at this rubbish. Just turn left and this is the scene. Ah that's better. Maybe this is God's direct line.

God's Direct Line

This advertisement, pictured at a Trim bus stop, is interesting in light of the atheist advertisement on London buses which I wrote about on 18 January. It does say something about Ireland that a national telecom company can publish an advertisement like this without creating a fuss.

I have a feeling that it might be more difficult in England. At least there is certainty in the Irish campaign instead of the weak London "probably no God" (They used capitals to avoid the problem of whether to capitalise the word "God" or not).

If you ring the number given you hear a plummy RTE advertising accent makes a weak joke about the "second coming postponed due to cut-backs" and then have to listen to the ad for the 11811 directory service. The campaign appears to be a response to a current campaign for a rival directory service featuring impressions of Irish finance guru Eddie Hobbs.

I understand there is another similar advertisement featuring Cupid's personal number, I wonder if it's the same number as God's.

The advertisement featured in the LiveLine show at the end of last month, podcast here.
There is also some discussion here. More about the atheist bus advertising here.