In subtle ways, blogging has changed my life. Not drastically - I'm yet to receive a call from a media tycoon who's stumbled across it and wants to pay me for my work - but in little ways that mean I've ended up doing things that I wouldn't normally do. For instance, I often have daft little ideas for things. Previously, I would maybe have just mentioned them to a couple of people, or, more likely, done nothing and quickly forgotten about them. But recently that changed. Now I'm tending to think along the lines of 'That's quite funny. I should do it and see what happens. And then blog it.' As I write this opening salvo, I'm starting to worry a little bit - Tombolablog was created as a reflection of what I get up to...but if it's very being is actually determining what I get up to, then the whole thing is just a charade....
Oh man...this wasn't what I was intending to write at all. Back to the start. Some weeks back I was in Regents Park with C-P30. We went to Pizza Express for tea before she got on the train back north. I can't remember the exact thought process involved but I started to think that Pizza Express were missing a trick by not building an advertising campaign around the song 'National Express' by the Divine Comedy. As I said, usually ideas like that pop into my head and then die a natural death. But the existence of Tombolablog is now acting as a kind of life-support machine for my stupid whims. I thought up some highly intelligent lyrics. I composed a letter. I looked up the address for Pizza Express HQ. I then wondered that maybe the Pizza Express HQ folk might not know the song so I went and put it on a CD ESPECIALLY FOR THEM:
And I put it in an envelope, accompanied by the following letter:
MY ADDRESS*
London
22nd September, 2006
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a regular diner at Pizza Express restaurants and while in one of your London branches recently I had an idea for an advertising campaign. I know this might seem like an unusual letter, but instead of just forgetting about it I thought I would drop you a line in case it might be of interest.
Basically, the advert centres on the use of the song ‘National Express’ by ‘The Divine Comedy’. The song is about different kinds of people who ride on the National Express and with a bit of thought the lyrics can easily be changed to suit a possible advert. Obviously it helps if you are familiar with the song, so I have enclosed a CD so that you can hear it. The song reached no.8 in the UK charts in February, 1999.
After a few minutes of playing around with the lyrics I had come up with this example:
“From the businessman,
with pepperoni and ham,
and a glass of wine.
To the newlyweds,
sharing garlic bread
at suppertime.
We’re going where the pizza’s great
Pizza Express, Pizza Express, Pizza Express [fade]
The song is very catchy and I have no doubt that a campaign on TV and radio would make an impact. I’m sure that different versions could be done along the same theme, using different people/menu items. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing an advert for Pizza Express and believe that this could work. The potential stumbling block would of course be obtaining the permission of The Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon who wrote the song.
I hope that this letter is of interest, and at the very least has provided an entertaining distraction. I’d love to hear what you make of the idea.
With best wishes,
Yours faithfully,
MY NAME**
22nd September, 2006
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a regular diner at Pizza Express restaurants and while in one of your London branches recently I had an idea for an advertising campaign. I know this might seem like an unusual letter, but instead of just forgetting about it I thought I would drop you a line in case it might be of interest.
Basically, the advert centres on the use of the song ‘National Express’ by ‘The Divine Comedy’. The song is about different kinds of people who ride on the National Express and with a bit of thought the lyrics can easily be changed to suit a possible advert. Obviously it helps if you are familiar with the song, so I have enclosed a CD so that you can hear it. The song reached no.8 in the UK charts in February, 1999.
After a few minutes of playing around with the lyrics I had come up with this example:
“From the businessman,
with pepperoni and ham,
and a glass of wine.
To the newlyweds,
sharing garlic bread
at suppertime.
We’re going where the pizza’s great
Pizza Express, Pizza Express, Pizza Express [fade]
The song is very catchy and I have no doubt that a campaign on TV and radio would make an impact. I’m sure that different versions could be done along the same theme, using different people/menu items. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing an advert for Pizza Express and believe that this could work. The potential stumbling block would of course be obtaining the permission of The Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon who wrote the song.
I hope that this letter is of interest, and at the very least has provided an entertaining distraction. I’d love to hear what you make of the idea.
With best wishes,
Yours faithfully,
MY NAME**
_____
Stop laughing. It's a great idea and those lyrics fit really well!
Have I had a response? Have I buggery. Miserable sods didn't even have the courtesy to reply. After I made them a CD as well! I thought at the very least they could have said 'thanks. and don't ever contact us again'. If it wasn't rancid I would seriously consider going to Pizza Hut for my flat, open-faced baked pie*** sustenance instead. Despite being shunned, I reckon I might try this sort of thing again. Or not, depending on the ridicule I get following this admission.
* Of course I didn't write 'My address'. That would be stupid. I've deliberately censored the letter so I don't get internet weirdos coming after me. Like that nutjob who's just been done for coming at someone with a pickaxe after a row in a chatroom.
** See point *, above.
*** Have you ever thought of a pizza as an open-faced baked pie? I certainly hadn't. But that's what it is.
3 comments:
Thats brilliant and inspired. The song lyrics are especially tacky. bravo. I once bought a cheesy poetry magazine for charity, the contents of which prompted my friend and I to write our own piss take poem. It was called 'The darkness in your eyes' which I believe may have been rhymed with 'as we said our goodbyes'. It was perfect for the magazine, but unfortunately I never received word of whether it was published. keep up the good work.
I've had similar fantastic ideas for ads, though as I wasn't blogging at the time, they didn't come about. I also didn't want to send them in, as they'd use it and I'd receive no credit (financial or otherwise) for my efforts.
I know...I must admit that part of my thinking behind putting the letter up on here would be so that I could hit them with a writ when the ad appears next year.
Yesterday I saw a new one for Sharwoods that features 'Go East' and some clumsy lines about their range of stir-in sauces. Am kicking myself about that one!
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