Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The "unstoppable" Kevin Pietersen?

Here's an ad in today's paper for an expensive solar-powered wristwatch that never needs a new battery. Under a picture of the cricketer Kevin Pietersen, the headline reads:

UNSTOPPABLE. KEVIN PIETERSEN IS. SO IS IS HIS XYZ WRISTWATCH.

And, oh look, in the sports pages of the very same paper: "KP Pietersen b SK Warne 2."

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the mighty (and unquestionably English) KP. But unstoppable he ain't. Except on the rare occasions when they are not out at the end of the innings, even the greatest batsmen get "stopped" every time they play. So the comparison is, frankly, dumb.

Perhaps you think I'm being a bit literal-minded. But why shouldn't I be? If the advertisers can't be bothered to make a plausible link between their product and the person endorsing it, they can't expect me to pretend I haven't noticed. And, without such a link, my only response to the ad is to wonder how much they are paying KP to appear in their ads.

Hang on, what about this . . .

BRILLIANTLY TALENTED, BUT A BIT PRONE TO TAKING RIDICULOUS RISKS AND THROWING HIS WICKET AWAY. KEVIN PIETERSEN IS. SO IS IS HIS XYZ WRISTWATCH

No, on second thoughts, that wouldn't work either.

posted by Lindsay @ 6:15 pm