There was never anything to suggest that those characters (and lets not forget ladies and gentlemen that they are fictional and not based on anyone in real life) had mental issues.

I would actually say that it is dependant on the individual watching those adverts to make a mental decision as to th mental state of the characters and perhaps it is more your perception of that person.

If my statement there is correct then perhaps it is not the way in which an advert is shown but a problem with the people viewing the advert. Which seems to me to be the problem with this whole post.

Just a load of jumped up people getting on their high horses because something may have been aimed at a hobby they like.

I’m a girl and I like eating chocolate – but i dont get on my high horse when Yorkie tells me I can’t.

People should learn to take adverts lightly, like anyone is going to care if Phones 4 u dont get a few peoples business – I hate to point this out but people lie and will always look out for number 1..regardless of what has been said here if Mr Scout Leader gets the best value deal there then thats where he will go.

People are people – the majority are mindless enough to think that advert is funny and the rest should be wise enough to just ignore it

I’m all for the scouts, my mum was a brown owl and set up the rainbows/brownies/guides movement in my home town – my brother was a scout.

But hey guys! – It’s just an advert, it’s not a personal attack to anyone just like adverts like McCoys (Man Crisps) implies that anyone who discusses ballet isnt a man etc etc.

No one cries about that one so why is everyone getting so defensive about this one.

People in the scouts are most likely always gonna get bullied – regardless of what is on TV/paper etc – that is just the world we live in.

Surely the whole premise of being a scout (a truly heroic and honourable person) is that you have the ability to rise against petty adverts and opinions of others and to go your own way and be the bigger man without causing an uproar.

So what if some phone company wants to say that scouts might be unpopular – i’m sure they will have many more adverts featuring other areas of society.

I for one thinks – so what, let them.

Rob

if this was targeting other minority groups it would not have been published,

How dare Phones 4U Think of portarying a “scout master” with a very old scout uniform (is it even a UK one?) on.

at least get up to date images. scout leader do a wealth of good with in society, and it makes you question weather the Global companies really rescept the society in which we all live in????

My Email to phones4whoever

To whoever at phones4U

I don’t normally get offended by adverts, in fact own an advertising agency in Central London, but having seen your pathetic effort this morning I was disgusted and moved to at least make a comment, although it’ll probably fall on deaf ears.

I’m a Scout Leader (note its ‘Leader’ not ‘Master’ which went out as a term in the Sixties!) and I hope that I am one of thousands of complaints you get regarding this insulting piece of trash, I cannot believe a company of your standing could make such a faux pas!

I don’t know who thought it was funny or why your advertising agency thought it was a good idea to upset 1000′s of adults in this country, not to mention all the kids they work very hard to provide an exciting and active programme for. This kind of ‘cheap shot’ degrades all the good volunteer work done across the UK. It just shows how puerile and un-informed some people in the media world can be and projects an outdated and totally false image of Scouting today.

I don’t really expect anything will be done about this advert and you’ll continue to run it anyway, but The Scout Association has rules again rubbish like this, I hope that they get the legal department do something about it.

For my part, you can forget my custom. My contract comes up for renewal in a month or so, and I’m going elsewhere and I hope all those connected with Scouting do the same … not that you’d really care.

You might think you are targetting a 16-24yr age group … well in Scouting, Young Leaders start at 14 and can be an Adult Leader at 18. Then of course there is all the present Leaders and associated staff who will not be buying mobiles for their kids either … so an own goal I think guys.