The Nestle poster – a hot topic

Well, the Nestle poster featuring a dishevelled SCP that we showed last week has certainly proved to be a hot topic of conversation.

There’s been dialogue on this website’s messageboard – where opinion is firmly against the poster - and in addition we had several comments emailed direct to us at the news desk.

Here’s a resume of the views raised:-

Those who think the poster is offensive/damaging to the SCP service:-

"This is not an image we want to see. We have worked very hard to raise the profile of the SCP service in the Isle of Man and are starting to win that battle. Images like this give parents the impression that the SCP service does not take the safety of their children seriously enough."
Vivienne Moore
Isle of Man

"I feel it is degrading and has, once again, tarnished the already less than professional image of the service. We have discussed the advert here in the north-east and all agree that we must apply pressure to prevent this sort of thing happening again. It does not help recruitment of suitable people, and drivers will give patrols less respect than they do now. I wonder what the police would say if an officer, or a traffic warden, was portrayed similarly?"
Alan Kennedy
Durham CC

"Adverts don’t usually get to me but I found this one particularly irritating. The SCP looks dishevelled - at first glance I wondered what on earth had happened to her!

"The media is always using sex and body image to sell products. But do they have to use a SCP in this context? The role of the SCP is very important and should be seen as 'professional'.

"SCPs work with young people, I think the image of a woman with her flat tummy out could give outl the wrong message - like you only look good if you're slim – and make some young girls even more conscious of their bodies. Do we really want SCPs to be associated with this?"
Elaine Wood
Sustainable Health Officer

"This campaign degrades the SCP profession. The suggestion is that they are 'low class' or represent 'humour'.

"I'm not sure but I believe this may contravene Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In light of recent SCP news on the LARSOA site it certainly doesn't help the situation - nor would it inspire new recruits to this work. It is already difficult to recruit new patrols and this campaign will only exasperate the situation."
Bill Cordwell
Kent County Council

"It is a degrading image that really won't get the reaction that Nestle wants. I worked in advertising and marketing for many years and chose to leave the profession because of its inherent lack of conscience.

"Was Nestle made aware of how difficult recruitment is for the SCP service and why the image in the advert is so damaging? Nestle and its advertising agency could be made rather uncomfortable if SCPs across the country wrote letters of complaint."
Jean Upton
Essex County Council

"I agree with Theresa - this is definitely not the image that we would wish to portray and tends to lower the status of the SCP - at a time when we have received positive coverage as a result of the 50th anniversary celebrations. Would Nestle have used a police officer as one of their ads? I think not!"
John Vickery
Bristol City Council

Those who think the poster is light hearted:-

"I don't think we should be taking this too seriously. The other SCP issues you've covered recently should be taking much more of our time and are much more serious."
Darren Divall
TRL Limited

"I think it's a harmless bit of fun and it presents quite a positive image of a young active person who is concerned about her appearance, etc. In other words part of the normal human condition - in a way that SCPs aren't always perceived to be. I think we should be relaxed about this."
Liz Knight
London Borough of Hounslow

"Bit of harmless fun. When you consider what RSOs have togged up in the past in the name of serious road safety campaigns it is small beer.

"My first week in road safety included the official launch of a campaign that still makes me blanch. Some six footer leaping about a stage dressed as a milk bottle named Bobby.

"We've had local government officers sweating inside all manner of dodgy iconic garb; animals, super heroes, creatures from the swamp. In fact anything that would terrify a child into crossing when and where you wanted.

"I don't think we should get too precious about this - I think the public will get the real message from Nestle. To me, there is clearly no intent to knock the SCP service."
Nigel Horsley
Leicestershire CC

And finally..

Theresa Casbard, who raised this issue in the first place, added the following to her original observations:-

"I have since seen a TV ad that did depict other professions so could then see it more in context. However I still feel the ‘cut uniform’ is not what we'd want to see. It's like Jack Duckworth with the broken glasses looking dishevelled as a SCP. Now the chocolate advert - was it Cadbury's Roses? That was lovely. We certainly had no problem with that one…."

In summary, the majority view is that the poster is detrimental to the SCP service – though there are those in the profession who do not think this is the case.

These views have been passed back to Nestle and if they wish to comment further we will give them the opportunity to do so.