Sunday, February 17, 2008

My Goldfish And I

An advertising campaign has appeared in which apparently illiterate celebrities begin stories involving their Golfish™ credit card.

Mayall: illiterateFiennes: illiterate

Me was going to the pub? Me went for a stroll? What me finds particularly offensive about this is the assumed down-to-earth chumminess, the complicity in a bit of everyday speech that may not be exactly grammatical but who cares, because that's how us all talk when us are not trying to sound posh - when at the same time it claims to celebrate language, because each poster begins a short story and then invites you to visit the website to read the rest. It's a credit card poster campaign that is all about storytelling. Isn't that lovely?

The ‘Me and My Goldfish’ stories explore relationships between people and their Goldfish. No doubt, many of you will have your own stories about your experiences with your Goldfish card. From the mundane to the spectacular, these stories tell us more and more about the relationships we have built with our cardholders over the last 12 years. That’s why we are keen to do all we can to encourage the art of storytelling, and are delighted to associate Goldfish with National Storytelling Week. Look out for a whole range of exciting events taking place in the months to come.

Not all of the celebrities are literate, of course. In Rik Mayall's page he is quoted as saying,

I think it's pompous to call myself a comedian, I prefer to think of myself as a phenomena.

"A phenomena"? The word is of course phenomenon. In any case, shouldn't that be Me thinks it's pompous?