Lord Winston’s appearance in adverts for “clever milk” (“fishy milk” would be more accurate, but clearly St. Ivel’s marketing consultants felt it didn’t quite project the image they wished to convey) has convinced me further that we are sliding into the Judge Dredd universe. In Get Smart, entrepreneur Otto Sump markets a new brand of confectionary. He makes no claims about their properties, yet their name and the slogan “Ya gotta be dumb ta buy Smart Sweets!” causes sales to go through the roof.
It’s a bit of a jolt to realise that Robert Winston has feet of clay along with the rest of us. I think Zoe Williams may have a point though: the more freedom advertisers are given to try and fool us, the less we’re likely to trust anything they say.