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First of all, I happen to have a life insurance policy with Scottish Widows, and it has nothing at all to do with the way it has been traditionally advertised on television - the fact that this is the case is purely incidental, but I am mostly referring to the adverts from the late 1980s and through the 1990s here, featuring the "Scottish widow" herself, although I very much that she was from North of the Border or a widow considering her young age (I am not Scottish or a widow either). How on earth can advertising insurance policies be sexy? Well it has happened.
The original woman to appear in the adverts was a model called Deborah someone (not a promising thing) - she was interviewed for a Sunday magazine at one point, and she (or one of the women who appeared in the adverts over the years) happened to be the daughter of Roger "Bond" Moore. I have to admit that I hated it when the adverts came on the TV, usually on Sunday nights during Jeeves and Wooster, London's Burning or on at an unusual time like that - it just feels far too feminist if not feminine (I mean, do women get excited watching a man put his socks on? - I think not, but it feel strange the other way round). One feels as if it is aimed at women hence the feminine touch. Nowadays it could be incognito weekday afternoon ad break fodder amongst the loan adverts and "have you had an accident in the last three years?" commercials.
Our Heroine from around 1989 can be seen in several adverts getting ready, strapless gown, stockings, etc (why?), donning the famous black cloak on, and walking along, sometimes seen in a room getting attention from everybody (i.e. men) and it just doesn't feel as if it a mainstream product being advertised - if feels as if she is advertising something made by Pretty Polly and not flogging life cover. At the end of the day, the advertising is about insurance policies so I have always assumed that the woman was irrelevant to the advertising. I am certain that by virtue of the cult status of the TV commercials, at some point the Scottish Widows website even revealed who she was and gave a brief profile of her - saying that of course, I am sort of glad that they haven't advertised like that since the early 2000s now.
I have never liked the adverts so it is unfortunate that I with them for life cover, but that was only because they are directly linked to the bank which I am a customer of. I was never a fan of the mid 1990s Allied Dunbar "there may be trouble ahead" adverts either. Just give it to us straight with no gimmicks!
As if being worried about whether one happens to be covered just in case anything happens to us later on in life - being protected is a good thing, but surely there is a right way to advertise it, just in case?
The original woman to appear in the adverts was a model called Deborah someone (not a promising thing) - she was interviewed for a Sunday magazine at one point, and she (or one of the women who appeared in the adverts over the years) happened to be the daughter of Roger "Bond" Moore. I have to admit that I hated it when the adverts came on the TV, usually on Sunday nights during Jeeves and Wooster, London's Burning or on at an unusual time like that - it just feels far too feminist if not feminine (I mean, do women get excited watching a man put his socks on? - I think not, but it feel strange the other way round). One feels as if it is aimed at women hence the feminine touch. Nowadays it could be incognito weekday afternoon ad break fodder amongst the loan adverts and "have you had an accident in the last three years?" commercials.
Our Heroine from around 1989 can be seen in several adverts getting ready, strapless gown, stockings, etc (why?), donning the famous black cloak on, and walking along, sometimes seen in a room getting attention from everybody (i.e. men) and it just doesn't feel as if it a mainstream product being advertised - if feels as if she is advertising something made by Pretty Polly and not flogging life cover. At the end of the day, the advertising is about insurance policies so I have always assumed that the woman was irrelevant to the advertising. I am certain that by virtue of the cult status of the TV commercials, at some point the Scottish Widows website even revealed who she was and gave a brief profile of her - saying that of course, I am sort of glad that they haven't advertised like that since the early 2000s now.
I have never liked the adverts so it is unfortunate that I with them for life cover, but that was only because they are directly linked to the bank which I am a customer of. I was never a fan of the mid 1990s Allied Dunbar "there may be trouble ahead" adverts either. Just give it to us straight with no gimmicks!
As if being worried about whether one happens to be covered just in case anything happens to us later on in life - being protected is a good thing, but surely there is a right way to advertise it, just in case?
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