Whicker – basket case or groovy grandad?

It’s refreshing to find some forthright opinions being put forward by marketers and agencies, and just such an opportunity occurred at the Cimtig Television Travel Advertising Showcase.

Lined up on the panel to watch 20 television ads in front of a gathering of the industry’s great and good were Paul Cardwell of Doner Cardwell Hawkins, Clear Channel’s Stevie Spring and Marc Bell of Teletext Holidays.

Swords clashed immediately, with Spring calling Teletext’s ad, featuring a deranged voyeuristic Dr Evil type, as “vaguely pervy”.

The overall winner was Travelocity’s Alan Whicker ad – a choice endorsed when a younger member of the audience said she didn’t know who Whicker was, but it didn’t matter, as he was funny. Cardwell chimed in, describing Whicker with affection as a “mad old geezer”. Expect plenty more ads featuring seventysomething TV presenters to crop up soon…