Scouts hit back at Phones4u stereotyping

Telecoms / Utilities

Fiona Ramsay

June 18, 2009

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1 minute

Scouts hit back at Phones4u stereotyping

LONDON - Scouting fans have hit back at the Phones4u 'Great Deals 4 Popular People' campaign featuring a scout leader as grumpy, balding and with glasses, which was pulled from press ads by the retailer this week.

An online Scouts forum has mocked up its own pro-Scouts ad, promoting the Scout Association and its new chief scout, adventurer Bear Grylls.

The mock up counters the ‘unpopular' Scout leader of the Phones4u ad by claiming Scouts are ‘good with knots, great with young people, and looking for more adults to share the adventure!'

The Scout Association had been receiving complaints from members over the Phones4u ad and asked the mobile firm to stop running the ad.

Phones4u is running other ads in the series, such as one featuring a sports mascot character.

Phones4u said it meant ‘no offence'.

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