Cheap but golden shot at Archer

Advertising agencies are never slow to exploit news stories tactically. President Bill Clinton’s dalliance with Monica Lewinsky provided cigar manufacturers and dry-cleaners with ample material. Now Jeffrey Archer has presented creatives with a new target.

McCann-Erickson copywriter Martyn Smith, art director Ashley Jouhar and creative director Luke White were quick off the mark last week with an execution for Elida Fabergé’s Vaseline Intensive Care. The strapline reads: “Sorry Jeffrey, not even we can save your skin this time.”

The Archer affair, no pun intended, surely gives advertisers plenty of scope for news-responsive ads. Could the Bank of England, Railtrack, stationers which sell brown envelopes, the Marriage Guidance Council and restaurant owners all over London be considering a similar tactic?