We’ve cottoned on to your tactics, Isobel, so throw in the towel
In the past year or so there has been plenty of hoo-ha about marketers pushing unsuitable products to children, so the Diary was gratified to see that some noble souls are doing the exact opposite – taking suitable products away from children.
It seems an unnamed beach bully from agency Isobel, obviously steeped in advertising history, has been re-enacting classic Charles Atlas marketing tactics – except, unable to find a seven-stone weakling to kick sand at, he picked on a seven-year-old girl.
On holiday in the West Country, our evil-eyed hero spotted a small child, sitting on his corporate beach-towel. Unable to countenance such juvenile thievery, he sprang into action, berating the urchin and taking back the towel.
Having foiled the child’s artful dodge, he scuttled back to his hotel room to examine his prized freebie for damage. On throwing open the door, he was confronted with… his Isobel towel. Oops.
Readers will be relieved to know that our shame-faced protagonist did return the towel to the girl, who is now believed to be awaiting delivery of a mail-order body-building kit.