Staines getting sick and tired of the abuse
With a name like Staines, it has to be good. Except actually it's crap, according to the city of Adelaide, Australia, which pokes fun at London’s most sadly named commuter town in this ad, aimed at attracting British immigrants. This isn’t the first stain on Staines. Sacha Baron Cohen settled on Staines as the hometown of his dimwitted character Ali G, for the same reasons M&C Saatchi is targeting it here. “We went for Staines because it sounds nasty,” an M&C executive admits. (Other ads in the series carry headlines like “Sod London house prices,” “Stuff London traffic” and “Bugger it, I’m off to Adelaide.”) But the constant jokes may be taking a toll on Staines, whose long-suffering residents are beginning to bite back. A city-council spokeswoman tells the West Australian: “All places have plusses and minuses, and there are a lot of plusses about Staines,” adding, “I certainly wouldn’t wish to be derogatory about Adelaide.”
—Posted by Tim Nudd
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February 7, 2008 in Nudd | Permalink
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Comments
It's worth noting here that Adelaide is an absolute hole.
Probably why these ads aren't getting any coverage in Australia, they're being kept quiet because if anyone actually saw them they'd call Bullshit in a second.
Posted by: Dame | Feb 7, 2008 10:45:35 PM
I live in Staines. The name comes from the saxon spelling of the word 'stones' from the Roman ruins that were there when the Saxons pitched up. I don't know why everyone is so puerile about it.
And we aren't in London! We are outside the borders of Greater London and always have been! Staines is close to London but not actually a part of it. I wish people would get that detail right.
Posted by: raven | Feb 10, 2008 8:10:13 PM
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