AOL and BT triumph with ad turkeys

Legal, decent, honest and rubbish

By Robert Blincoe • Get more from this author

Posted in Data Networking, 10th January 2001 13:48 GMT

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Net and telco companies have triumphed in the UK advertising industry's Turkey of the Year awards.

These prestigious accolades are given to the companies with the most annoying TV adverts. They were awarded by the ad industry trade paper Campaign.

In with a bullet at number one was AOL with its adverts featuring Connie and her pudding bowl haircut. The judges said: "A prissy know-all is a strange choice to symbolise the exciting new media revolution."

In second place was BT Cellnet's Silver Surfer campaign - "naff and dated" said the judges, who didn't think much of the concept of having a surfer surf the Net.

BT took fourth place with its ET ads. "Even ET looks sheepish about it all," was the verdict. Apparently BT's got a £100 million ad budget as well.

Women's Web site Charlotte Street came in at number eight - "a perfect example of the phenomenon that was the meaningless dotcom ad". ®

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