PSA - Stop using Brits for commercials in U.S.

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dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
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www.alienbabeltech.com
PSA - Attention Producers stop using Brits for commercials in the U.S.

It's not attractive sounding and quite annoying as hell.

Are there a crap load of U.S. speaking folks on commercials in the U.K.?
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
You're wrong. Anyone with a British accent is automatically more intelligent sounding and trustworthy.
 
rockyct

rockyct

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2001
6,656
32
91
At least they aren't that stupid malware scanner ad that has crappy animation and a Russian lady talking about it. Talk about making it sound like a scam.
 
Atomic Playboy

Atomic Playboy

Lifer
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
There have actually been studies done that show that people generally find a British accent to be the most "intellectual" and therefore the most authoritative when it comes to giving advice. This is why marketers will prefer someone with a British accent over nearly any other. There are some fairly obvious exceptions to this; you'll probably never hear a British NASCAR announcer, and companies like Outback Steakhouse try to play up their Australian roots by using a spokesman with an Australian accent. But if an advertisement is going to use a "non-American" accent for marketing in America, it's almost always going to be British.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
Atomic Playboy said:
There have actually been studies done that show that people generally find a British accent to be the most "intellectual" and therefore the most authoritative when it comes to giving advice. This is why marketers will prefer someone with a British accent over nearly any other. There are some fairly obvious exceptions to this; you'll probably never hear a British NASCAR announcer, and companies like Outback Steakhouse try to play up their Australian roots by using a spokesman with an Australian accent. But if an advertisement is going to use a "non-American" accent for marketing in America, it's almost always going to be British.
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This is why the UK version of Top Gear rocks and the American version sucks :)
 
Doppel

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
dmcowen674 said:
PSA - Attention Producers stop using Brits for commercials in the U.S.

It's not attractive sounding and quite annoying as hell.

Are there a crap load of U.S. speaking folks on commercials in the U.K.?
Click to expand...
You should be at your shrink, not watching TV anyway. Problem solved.
 
Atomic Playboy

Atomic Playboy

Lifer
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
Fritzo said:
This is why the UK version of Top Gear rocks and the American version sucks :)
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Ditto for the BBC documentaries where American producers made the mind-boggling decision to replace Richard Attenborough with Sigourney Weaver and Oprah Winfrey. Are you fucking kidding me? Like anyone watching a nature documentary is going to be scared off by hearing a British accent. Even Disney was smart enough to use Pierce Brosnan for Oceans; I don't remember a bunch of Americans going "well, it was purty, but I'll be damned if I could make out what that Limey was talkin' 'bout. They shoulda used a REAL American like Oprah!"
 
M

mrkun

Platinum Member
Jul 17, 2005
2,177
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It depends on the accent. More educated accents are fine, but the lower class ones are grating.
 
eits

eits

Lifer
Jun 4, 2005
25,015
3
81
www.integratedssr.com
dmcowen674 said:
PSA - Attention Producers stop using Brits for commercials in the U.S.

It's not attractive sounding and quite annoying as hell.

Are there a crap load of U.S. speaking folks on commercials in the U.K.?
Click to expand...

??? um, why?

it's very attractive sounding, not annoying whatsoever.

yes, there are. they're called american celebrities.

you're wrong, sir, on all counts.
 
davmat787

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
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dmcowen674 said:
Well the IBM9000 guy says there are not a lot of Americans on UK commercials so either you or him is lying.
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If there are a lot of Americans on UK commericals, it is probably because they ran out of the few beautiful people in the UK long ago, so they had to import US talent. :p And HAL wouldn't want to admit to any American presence, he can't stand America.

We have more genetic diversity in the US, which I read recently directly leads to a higher beauty quotient or something along those lines.


zerocool84 said:
In movies, the British guy is almost always the bad guy. Coincidence?
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Used to be that the bad guys were usually black. That became a problem for obvious reasons, so the British would be next on that list.
 
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davmat787

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
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Atomic Playboy said:
Ditto for the BBC documentaries where American producers made the mind-boggling decision to replace Richard Attenborough with Sigourney Weaver and Oprah Winfrey. Are you fucking kidding me? Like anyone watching a nature documentary is going to be scared off by hearing a British accent. Even Disney was smart enough to use Pierce Brosnan for Oceans; I don't remember a bunch of Americans going "well, it was purty, but I'll be damned if I could make out what that Limey was talkin' 'bout. They shoulda used a REAL American like Oprah!"
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Now this I agree with. Attenborough is the king of documentaries. Oprah/Sigourney are merely reading from a script, whereas David knew what he is presenting and is in the field at the same time.
 
DanTMWTMP

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,908
19
81
davmat787 said:
Now this I agree with. Attenborough is the king of documentaries. Oprah/Sigourney are merely reading from a script, whereas David knew what he is presenting and is in the field at the same time.
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Am I the only guy who thought the Sigourney's version was better? I found Attenborough's presentation to be a bit more pretentious and with less enthusiasm and passion than Weaver's presentation. I wished the bluray had both. Well, I guess that having worked with lots of british scientists, I find the accent irritating, cocky, pretentious, and demeaning. I get pissed just hearing the accent now (especially Londonian accent). They also hack every single pronunciation of words from other languages, without even attempting to fix it. I really dislike the accent. No offense to anyone who's British though.. I've visited the UK, and had a blast, and love the monty python skits/movies.
 
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davmat787

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
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DanTMWTMP said:
Am I the only guy who thought the Sigourney's version? I found Attenborough's presentation to be a bit more pretentious and with less enthusiasm and passion than Weaver's presentation. I wished the bluray had both. Well, I guess that having worked with lots of british scientists, I find the accent irritating, cocky, pretentious, and demeaning. I get pissed just hearing the accent now (especially Londonian accent). They also hack every single pronunciation of words from other languages, without even attempting to fix it. I really dislike the accent. No offense to anyone who's British though.. I've visited the UK, and had a blast, and love the monty python skits/movies.
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I don't get pissed like that simply hearing their accent, that does not bother me in the least. We all have our accents. But what does get to me is when they deride US English as being oafish or inferior, or not "real English". Seems like a cheap shot, and they forget that the languages forked several hundred years ago, with several ethnicities adding their touches during the mass immigration days to form the version of English we speak today. Back when an immigrant would learn English that is.
 
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