Specsavers – 2 for 1 Glasses – Edith Piaf

26 March 2008 by Silky

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Just How Bad is this Ad?

(25 votes, average: 4.44 out of 5)

14Responses:

Dave

Said on the 26 March 2008

Don’t mind this ad, it’s quite funny, but Edith Piaf, Charles Aznovoice and Slasha D’smell proof if ever needed that the frogs just can’t sing.
Silky

Said on the 26 March 2008

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dave!

Aznovoice and D’smell are fantastic singers. “She” anyone? “Thank ‘eaven for little giels” someone?

Plus the French do have Air, Vanessa Paradise and Daft Punk.

And let’s not forget the best European national anthem!

Anyhoo, what I dislike most about this advert is how it completely steam rolls Piaf’s very personal and exceptionally moving classic to make it about not buying more than one pair of galsses.

Shocking!
Jonny Chestwig

Said on the 26 March 2008

“Best European National Anthem” I thin, Sir, that you are forgetting the Republic of Italy. The only anthem where it is acceptable to do a little jump at the end to conclude the jolly tune, ace!
Mike Empuria

Said on the 27 March 2008

Me like! Where else do you get to hear the Little Sparrow on TV these days?
Dave

Said on the 27 March 2008

Best anthem how about Deutschland, Deutschland Uber Alles, rousing stuff, fair makes you want to run off and invade Poland.
Silky

Said on the 27 March 2008

@Jonny – I grant you I do like the “little jump at the end” bounce to the Italian anthem.

@Dave – Christ! I think the German one may be even more of a dirge than ours but, strangely enough, humming it did help my son get to sleep when he was a newborn!
Mike Empuria

Said on the 27 March 2008

I’m impressed your newborn could hum!
Silky

Said on the 27 March 2008

What’s more impressive is the end the sound came from!
Entity

Said on the 27 March 2008

Erm, how does an Edith Piaf song related to glasses in any way?
Mike Empuria

Said on the 29 March 2008

The song’s all about how she doesn’t regret anything that has happened in the past, both the good and the bad things that she’s done, because today her life and joys begin with the person she’s singing the song to.

In the advert though she does have a regret; she should have gone to Specsavers!
Pete The Pedant

Said on the 31 March 2008

Surely her biggest regret was dying?

Sorry to be cynical but, I can’t believe I’m saying this, perhaps the song in the original French maybe wasn’t, no don’t laugh, maybe wasn’t about specs at all!!! Is it possible that they made it all up! Okay its a wacky off-the-wall idea. Oh those ad folk – crazy!

Or could the translator have come from the same talent agency as the court artists used by TV news?
Dave

Said on the 6 April 2008

Anyone seen the latest one using Thunderbirds, oh dear!
PIFLover

Said on the 6 April 2008

She should have regretted recording that song. I know she’s considered a musical legend but “Je Ne Regrette Rien” just grates on my nerves like little else.
milly cummings

Said on the 3 November 2008

I do not find this amusing at all and would not buy from Specsavers after viewing the advert.
It is insulting and demeaning to this classic song which was performed with such depth and feeling.
All I can assume is that some neanderthal ad person with a very poor education came up with the idea.
Or there is a more disturbing conclusion – that a very clever ad person thinks that the nation is so full of philistines and lacking in cultivation that the idea was bound to work.
I regret my conclusion is the latter.