AdTurds – Adverts That Are Shit Bad adverts. Badverts

Argos ad updates Bing Crosby

A human beatbox Bing Crosby? What larks!

It's like, the opposite of what you expect? Cos he's old and famous for singing White Christmas? And, because it pulls the rug out from under you it's memorable?

Except... What does it mean? I can't detect anything within the advert that links a rude-boy Crosby to Argos' back-to-front shopping experience.

There's some mention of stuff that's 'up to date', but that's really pretty weak. It could have actually worked, with just a different tagline: 'Not what you'd expect' or 'Different from the rest'. Anything that ties the ad to the product.

Another problem, and this is obviously a judgement call, is that it's not particularly charming. It actually comes across a little bit as making fun of Crosby.

Where does the meme go from here? Olivier's Richard III reciting KRS-ONE's seminal condemnation of the NYPD, Sound of Da Police? Nureyev parkouring his way through Shoreditch? Simon Rattle mashing up some earbleed gabba in a field near the M25?*

Still, what an original idea, eh? Except it's not, it's just like VW's 'Original Updated' advert for the Golf a few years ago.

That ad had Gene Kelly's Singin' In The Rain spot updated, with dancing from David Elsewhere. I thought it was brilliantly conceived, executed and rather lovely.

And it made sense. Because the Golf has been around for yonks, but it's been updated, see?

And it's funny, and engaging and serves to enhance the original. Kelly's family OKed the ad because Gene had always been a supporter of new, innovative dance.

I think this Argo ad fails on all of those counts. It's not hateful, it just seems muddled. Like the whole Argos shopping experience.

* In the event of any of these things happening, I want ten per cent