B&W tries the common touch

Tattoos used to be seen only on the arms of sailors, skinheads and Hell’s Angels. But how things have changed – even the daintiest supermodels are rushing to have themselves permanently painted. In fact, tattoos are so common they are becoming positively mainstream, Darling. The Diary had “Marketing Week Forever” tattooed on a certain body part years ago.

Now they have even reached the fusty world of financial services, in the form of a poster campaign for building society Bristol & West. It features a young man sitting in the lotus position wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a tattoo. Only the excitement of phoning for a mortgage can entice him away from his meditation. The Diary suggests that although he has a tattoo, he certainly doesn’t have a life.