"Go to work on an egg" - a slogan that was run well before my time, yet I am very familiar with it such is its impact on the social conscience. And good advice too, in my book - if I had the patience to boil an egg every morning in between making up for lost time in order to catch the bus, the I too would go to work on an egg. But of course, I'd be stupid to - according to the government at least.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has banned a return of the advert on the grounds that it doesn't promote a varied diet. Seriously! How stupid do they think we are? It was a good and memorable advert, but it wasn't that good! It's not like we're all going to be so taken in by this marketing voodoo that we stop eating anything else and all become boiled egg junkies. “Eggs are cheap” and “eggs are full of protein” but I still think I'll manage to keep my taste for chicken, vegetables, fruit and the odd bit of fish. Ofcom, the government watchdog for advertising has said “Eating eggs every day goes against what is now the generally accepted advice of a varied diet. We therefore could not approve the ads for broadcast.” What a bunch of prats.
To see the original advert in all it's glory with the brilliant Tony Hancock visit www.gotoworkonanegg.co.uk.
Comments
JG doesn't like fish
JG doesn't like fish
He is partial to a bit of
He is partial to a bit of fish (though not canned tuna and the like) every now and then - especially Benny's chippie in Clapham.
Go to work on an egg
Let's have the BBC reprising these spendid little gems in the spirit of public information. To blazes with the advertising regulator.
They were entertaining - I
They were entertaining - I remember the "Charlie says" ones very clearly from when I was a whipper snapper. But they were a little patronising too (especially for you ladies!). I have no problem if an industry wants to pay for them, not so sure I want the BBC to waste more money on telling us to eat eggs or how to cross the road though - however entertaining and amusing they were. Though, the anti-drink drive commercials of the 1980s were a great success...