To admire Marks and Spencer's ambitious in store advertising?

[MrsDustyBusty]

Today I was in Marks and Spencer's in Dublin and they have a display advertising special celebration foods for bonfire night. That's an ambitious project, I thought to myself.

AIBU to admire the gung-ho spirit of commerce against the odds?

Minarch? Ffs monarch

It's incredible how stupid and crass some marketing people can be. Or do they just assume their customers are pig-ignorant know-nothings too?

We have bonfire night every year in cork. Bonna night was always a good celebration. Had nothing to do with guy fawkes. We just liked to set stuff on fire.

The regions??!!

Well you know where's doing the scoff!

I don't care what Marks do or say, their food is for the Gods!

The managers in ROI stores are mostly from Britain though. My sister who worked there as a buyer /second tier manager told me that!

Still, someone should have said "WTF" Mr. Manager! Whoa there.

But what the heck, no one in Dublin or anywhere else will get the significance anyway. But if the price is right who knows!

At least one person has noticed...

they were selling children's nightdresses with 'I love bed and mickey' written on them.

Is there really no Boxing Day in Ireland?

No.

There's St. Stephen's Day.

Regions because the regional managers wanted more control over local events rather than English/London led...

It is NEVER called Boxing Day in ROI but it is St. Stephen's Day. Same thing really.

In my firm any office outside of the head office in London is called the regions, everything from Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey etc. I don’t think it is meant offensively to mean anything but England.

But yes, very optimistic of M&S!

Bet Next still make their staff get up stupidly early for the fecking Boxing day sale though squoosh

Asda in the northeast had a ket aisle, last weekend.

Now that wouldn't travel well. I've lived up here for 30 years and had to ask DH what on earth such an aisle would be selling!

Lol at The Regions!
There's all the problems right there. 😄

What on earth is a ket aisle?

@PickAChew.

How sweet...

Next and their St Stephen's Day/Boxing Day sales are one of the most unfathomable things in the whole world. Why anyone would queue overnight in the cold in order to get their mitts on a sequinned batwing top when they could be at home sitting by the fire, necking cava and squabbling with family members is a total headfuck to me.

I thought all the union jack stuff in 2012 was a particular highlight.

Regions

cathy I do some consultancy work for them in Ireland and that's not my experience. The vast majority of my contacts (in store and Dublin head office) are Irish.

It's more that that London head office have an iron grip on policy (and not much interest in local nuance).

Titus does your office also refer to offices in other countries as 'regions'?

To be fair, use of the word 'regions' is widespread in many companies I've done work for.

A lot of the bonfire night traditions predate Guy Fawkes. I think Lewes has had its parade of effigies since before then. I can't help thinking there is a certain synergy between guising/disguising yourself for Halloween / Samhain and aspects of Guy Fawkes night. Even his name happens to fit. Not quite on topic though. Yes clearly M&S need to get more feedback from their staff on the ground!

I don’t find regions offensive.