Scots: The New Dewar's Ad featuring an Englishwoman doing a Scots accent - okay?

[Leaffan]

@For You

Not to derail, but is Dewars even palatable? My few experiences with blends have convinced me to stick to single malts – even Glenfiddich 12, “the budweiser of scotch”, has decent personality compared to the insipid abominations that are blends. No wonder they have to advertise aggressively.

No. Dewars is shite.

[Cinnamon_Imp]

@shijinn

anyways, i don’t know how “genuine” her accent is, but Kelly MacDonald’s accent sounds very nice while still being very easy to understand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSrlCMG0AKM

Link unavailable

@Corcaigh

you. outside. now.

“Get yer coat luv, you’ve pulled”?

@WordMan

So, which is worst?

1. the bad Scots accent
2. the concept of using a Englishwoman to trot out a faux-Scots accent and selling it to us Americans?
3. the fact that the actress is reasonably well-known, but is NOT portrarying herself as a celebrity English endorser, but rather as Scottish character?

4. Selling Dewars as representative of good Scottish Whisky

@singular1

I’m fairly certain she says “Are ya thersty, Angus?” at the end of the commercial. Mr singular agrees.

Nope.

@Leaffan

“Go back to sleep Angus, darling.”

Yup.

@Leaffan

No. Dewars is shite.

Quoted for truth!

[Icerigger]

Karen Gillan from Doctor Who is from Scotland and sounds delightful, is her accent real?

- YouTube

[amanset]

@WordMan

So, which is worst?

1. the bad Scots accent
2. the concept of using a Englishwoman to trot out a faux-Scots accent and selling it to us Americans?
3. the fact that the actress is reasonably well-known, but is NOT portrarying herself as a celebrity English endorser, but rather as Scottish character?

I guess I would’ve gone with 2 myself - I would’ve assumed that an Englishwoman attempting to be passed off as Scottish would be the most offensive. Whether she was reasonably well-known would add confusion to the offensiveness, but not be as offensive. And Scots accents have been butchered in countless US shows and movies, but I tend to think of those as US attempts to fake a Scots accent. This is a Scottish distillery using a Brit to “sound” Scottish to the US audience. Just seems wrong…

I don’t think so. We’ve got pretty used to it the other way round, for example. Ewan McGregor and David Tennant put on English accents without any huge fuss. It only really becomes an issue when it gets down to Russ Abbot territory:

Russ Abbot on Des O'Connor part 01

[Scougs]

Ghastly. Absolutely ghastly.

[GuanoLad]

I don’t care about the accent, I just think the ad itself is horribly made.

[Cinnamon_Imp]

Agreed - the epileptic inducing flashes and jumps at the beginning, the faux erotic stroking the velvet - what on earth were they going for?

[muldoonthief]

@Leaffan

It’s a reference to Scottish independence. “Angus” is making a declaration for maintaining ties to the monarchy, and shitty accent lady is sipping scotch whiskey and declaring her defiant independence.

That’s my take.

I thought when Angus yelled “We serve at the pleasure of her Majesty the Queen!” it was some kind of Scottish code for “I’m awake and horny, want to fool around?”, and the woman shot him down, because she’s busy getting drunk.

[shijinn]

@Cinnamon_Imp

Link unavailable …

it was a clip of Kelly MacDonald on Craig Ferguson with two other Scottish. you can also find her accent on Boardwalk Empire.

[SanVito]

@WordMan

I guess I would’ve gone with 2 myself - I would’ve assumed that an Englishwoman attempting to be passed off as Scottish would be the most offensive. Whether she was reasonably well-known would add confusion to the offensiveness, but not be as offensive. And Scots accents have been butchered in countless US shows and movies, but I tend to think of those as US attempts to fake a Scots accent. This is a Scottish distillery using a Brit to “sound” Scottish to the US audience. Just seems wrong…

Blimey, we’re not at war you know. Actors of all nationalities routinely impersonate other accents, it really isn’t a big deal that it’s an English woman impersonating a Scot.

And, yeah, Scots are Brits too.

[Mangetout]

@The_Stafford_Cripps

I’m Scottish and that’s painful.

I’m English, and I agree. Shrek’s Scots accent is better than the one in that ad.

[Mangetout]

@SanVito

Blimey, we’re not at war you know. Actors of all nationalities routinely impersonate other accents, it really isn’t a big deal that it’s an English woman impersonating a Scot.

Yeah, but when you’re advertising something with distinct emphasis on the regional origin, then you use an ersatz version of that very attribute, it’s just weirdly wrong.

The only way in which this makes any sense to me is if they were going for something along the lines of “this product is so essentially Scottish, it will make **you **Scottish.”- except that doesn’t seem to be what they were aiming at.

[WordMan]

@SanVito

Blimey, we’re not at war you know. Actors of all nationalities routinely impersonate other accents, it really isn’t a big deal that it’s an English woman impersonating a Scot.

And, yeah, Scots are Brits too.

I am sure I am overthinking it then. Of course Scots are Brits and of course different Brits take on different accents from different regions all the time. In this case, it just seemed off to me. Not sure if I can articulate it - it is one thing for an actor to use whatever accent they need; it is another for a Brand to position an actor to embody a specific archetype - in this case a strong-willed Scotswoman - and conspicuously not use a real one.

In the US, if a mid-level well-known actor, known for having a strong NY accent, ended up flogging a strongly Boston-based brand and using a pasted-on Boston accent, it would lead to flak. Are NY and Boston at war? Nah, but there is a rivalry there and plenty of “true Bostonian” actors to use who would be seen to more truly embody the brand.

Edited to Add: simul-posted by Mangetout, who summarized what I was trying to say much better than I did. Thank you sir.

[muldoonthief]

It wasn’t a commercial, but is this (slightly NSFW- language) the kind of thing you’re referring to WordMan?

[WordMan]

@muldoonthief

It wasn’t a commercial, but is this (slightly NSFW- language) the kind of thing you’re referring to WordMan?

Yes, but it is not like Alec Baldwin is hawking Boston Baked Beans in a commercial, just playing a character. That is a pretty funny clip; I hadn’t seen it - thanks.

[terentii]

Is that supposed to be Kennedy-esque, or what???

[cjepson]

By the way, just to clear up any confusion about how the ad ends – there are two ads. (Yes, I’m afraid this appears to be an actual ad campaign, and we get to look forward to yet more of this dreck.)

[eschereal]

@Icerigger

Karen Gillan from Doctor Who is from Scotland and sounds delightful, is her accent real?

- YouTube

She is from Inbhir Nis, I should hope she talks that way normally.

[The_Stafford_Cripps]

@Leaffan

It’s a reference to Scottish independence. “Angus” is making a declaration for maintaining ties to the monarchy, and shitty accent lady is sipping scotch whiskey and declaring her defiant independence.

That’s my take.

If it has got anything to do with the independence referendum it’s badly informed, since the monarchy is not up for discussion in 2014.

[muldoonthief]

@singular1

I’m fairly certain she says “Are ya thersty, Angus?” at the end of the commercial. Mr singular agrees.

That’s the other commercial, in reply to Angus’s shouted “All hail to the drinking man!”. Which makes just as much sense.