The Visa Crutch advert - what the heck were they thinking?

[KayHarkerInTheBackOfTheQuattro]

I mean, huh?

Look, have a visa card, and you can be on permanent crutches.

Yes, it's not at all far from the truth, but gracious, I'm not sure it's the subliminal message they wanted to be going for.

Is that the one where the guy is sort of dancing and gliding on crutches? I don't know what sort of message they were trying to send, but I quite enjoy watching it. It reminds me of that BBC ad with the guy going over rooftops to get home from work, I don't know why because they're not really similar at all.

yeah, that's the one. Life might flow better when you're on credit crutches, but I still think he looks like a twonk.

I love that advert

He's actually quite well known for his crutch work (not sure of the correct term). He does actually use crutches in real life as he has a degenerative hip problem.

Don't you think it's good to see a positive depiction of someone with a disability? I think it makes a nice change..

GAG - it didn't occur to me that he might have an actual disability tbh, I assumed he was a performer and they were like a different version of stilts or something.

I thought it was a positive image of someone on crutches too.

I thoought the message was he had nicked someones elses crutches and was messing about with them - whch I thought was a bit sick to be honest. Just didnt get it.

Well if we all had such different responses to the advert its message isn't strong enough.

I think it's more to do with the fact that we are completely unused to seeing anyone with a disability on television, being happy.

It's either they must be hidden from view so not to distress us (just look at the fuss over Cerrie Cbeebies' arm), or if they are shown, it's in a victim type role.

advert is ok but the soundtrack is bloody annoying. like someone burping in their throat.

I would have said that it is because we are used to adverts being "clever" like the bbc ones with people doing weird n wonderful dancing etc, so we just assume now.

Like Mrs McCluskey, I honestly thought that the actor in the ad was able-bodied, and actually felt that he was taking the p* out of people who needed to use crutches. I am glad to learn that I was wrong, but I wonder how many other people made the same false assumption as me. This negative impression actually put me off considering the product.

I don't think it's a positive depiction of someone with a disability at all.

It's all very clever, agility wise, but I just don't get how it's positive to sell debt as a positive thing by using disability, actually. I think the message is completely muddled.

I like this advert.

I was talking about it to tosmeone and I think they said he was a well known street performer (ala that famour street artist - banksy or whetever his name is) similar ilk.

I don't know

slightly off topic.. has anybody bothered to try and find all 80 KAs? I keep promising dd I'll let her go ont he website as obviously the advert is too quick

Kay - Aren't you meant to see the person and not the disability?

I agree that Visa cards are indeed a prettied up debt. In fact credit cars generally always use the Freedom to Spend = Happiness branding.

What I'm 'meant' to see and what I do aren't necessarily related.

The crutches are presented as the means by which he can do all manner of things, presented as much better than the static people around him. Crutches however, normatively, aren't a 'positive lifestyle choice'. Having been a crutch-user for a long time myself, I can say with confidence that they're more often a pain in the arse.

I think the connection with disability and debt is actually mildly offensive, the more I think about it, actually.

In short then this advert has succeeded as we are discussing it"