It's good to see a healthy debate on this topic... Personally I hate the use of sex in advertising. It's everywhere, so most people are immune to it. It's not clever, or original, and stopped being funny a long time ago. It points to a much bigger social problem that I won't go into here because this is not the place.

Kudos to Dolphin Music for responding so quickly and respectfully to the objections raised.

Finally, some of you might be interested in how advertising is regulated:
http://www.asa.org.uk/

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madtheory creations
Synths and pianos for Kontakt

I am one of those frequent unregistered browsers... never really bother with the techie talk... I guess its a bit of a man thing!

This post got my attention though - and as you're all blokes I thought i'd give my female perspective : )

I might even become a frequent forum contributer... that is if I didnt have so much much bloody coursework to do : (

Cheekz ; )

i thought it was a stupid and naive advert and were surprised to see SOS run it, seemed more of a FM/CM type of thing, but agree that it was good to see Dolphin respond in this thread

Quote BigAl:

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Good to see them responding to the discussion, but I still can't help seeing this as PC gone wrong. It's just an advert and hardly breaking the law.

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I think some of it probably is PC gone wrong, but as the wise man said - 'There's a fine line between clever and stupid'. I'm certainly not pooing my pants in PC-rage about it, that's for sure. In fact, she gives me the horn. Ooohhh.

Steady Jon..

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note

Yeah, but her hands could be a bit smaller though.

I use sound on sound for the tips and help guides. To be honest I am usually far too busy to actually post discussion groups and also have better things to do with my time to spend all my life on them.

This was actually brought to my attention by a colleague at work (IN LONDON) 200 miles from Dolphin Music. Once I saw it I really wanted to say something as those guys have sorted me out in the past. I don't know what you were insinuating. May be they are offering people money to say nice things. If so then I might just call them up and see if I can get even better deals!!

Just to recap, this is my genuine opinion and I don't like people insinuating otherwise!

The ad is terrible - it's the dumbest form of advertising. I thought about emailing SOS about it. Cheap, tacky, but well done for pulling it Dolphin. The new ad also makes me cringe a bit if truth be told - trying too hard to be cool. Just show us some pics of gear and cheap prices!

The lollipop ad reminds me of an another ad in SOS a while back that had a PC with a disk drive made to look like moist lips - for god's sake get a life!

Quote:

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for god's sake get a life!

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I could say the same, do you not think it's being just a little bit reactionary to react this strongly to something that stupid?

For once a different type of PC is causing all manner of chaos

true - a bit of an over reaction, but i just find it amazing that a advertiser can try to link a PC with sex! It reminds me a bit of The Price is Right with sexy girls draped all over the prizes!

They do it because it works. See er, see above!

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With a boom-a-lacka, zoom-a-lacka, wee.

Sex has been used to sell many items on this planet which have nothng to do with sex or sexuality so the idea isn't exactly new.

Being offensive is very subjective and anyone could take offense to any advert rather than see it for what it is.

So you used to watch those sexy girls on The Price Is Right?
Or did you excercise your right of self-censorship and switch the TV off?
(if Mary Whitehouse only had a remote control)

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Jack of all trades, master of some.

Thanks Dolphin dude, this was not ever a flame-up for your company, just meant to be a quick observation.

But i'm glad the ad was pulled. It's interesting to observe peoples behavior towards sexually explicit material. I'm only 31, but over the years I have noticed a complete barrage of sexy stuff, from giant billboards to page 3 girls with full nudity, FHM mags, French cinema with full penetration sex scenes (yawn), the internet, celebrity paedophiles, celebrity porn, even the bloody Argos catalogue for fecks sake.

Is this turning some men into raging hornbags? Probably.

Are woman getting a better deal these days? Debatable

Personally I think it affects different people in different ways. If i want some porn, i'll seek it out, what this type of advertising does is slap it in my face. I hate that.

Now, where's my copy of Razzle, cor look at the tits on that!

Quote Jon Dickinson:

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In fact, she gives me the horn. Ooohhh.

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So, your name is really Dick Johnson?

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* wossname * ...if .sig's were fish, this would stink *

Quote jellyjim:

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If Dolphin haven't got it it says 0 available. Plus they're doing cool stuff like this

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/?page=shop/soundcard_selector

to help you select a soundcard.

As far as their website goes they're really streets ahead of any of the other retailers. They're also linking to magazine product reviews and so on. Dolphin, you could add sound demos, video clips?

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Yeah I totally agree, very helpful website and the sound card selector is excellent.

Greg

I didn't even notice the ad so it couldn't have been that eye catching...

It appears that Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, recently spotted in a London restaurant allegedly talking to representatives of Chelsea, was actually discussing his forthcoming appearance in a Dolphin ad..

Have to say, the whole use of the girl reminded me of the REALLY bad old days (in the year or two before Issue 100) of Future Music where they decided to make the mag 'cool' and started putting (male and female) models on the front cover grasping various bits of kit and posing... oh dear!

It does look like an ad one would see in some other publication,though which publication i dont rightly know.

Enjoyable or fun adverts would seem to be possible though not widely used in these dark foreboding islands.

Perhaps in Community there could be a critique of each advert appearing,getting ones moneys worth and all that.

Whether the ad is PC gone wrong or not is besides the point.

The customers voiced their opinion, and dolphin responded thus.

I'm sure there will be people here who will now consider buying from dolphin as a direct result of their reaction to customer's comments in this instance.

Would Turnkey have responded this way?

to be fair yes i think turnkey have responded here in the past...

It's an advert, it's done its job as has been pointed out already, if you don't like it look at something else.

When did everyone get so highly strung around here?

As for being surprised that SOS ran it...

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This time next week, who'll give a sh*t
http://www.podcastrevision.co.uk

I think it is great to see Dolphin respond, but as has been mentioned, the ad ultimately worked great in attracting attention to the company, which is the goal of all adverts.

Any publicity, good or bad, is usually good news.

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James
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" ~Napoleon Bonaparte~

Quote Bazza:

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It's an advert, it's done its job as has been pointed out already, if you don't like it look at something else.

When did everyone get so highly strung around here?

As for being surprised that SOS ran it...

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We're all entitled to our opinion. I'm glad to see that most of the posters in this thread objected to the ad, and that Dolphin responded respectfully. It would be interesting to see if it affects sales...

Why is it that the "look somewhere else" argument always comes up at some point in a 'net debate? Sorry, but it's nonsense.

Some of you might be interested in how advertising is regulated:
http://www.asa.org.uk/

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madtheory creations
Synths and pianos for Kontakt

I noticed the ad a while back and thought, uh oh, that is a bit suspect - thinly disguised pornographic reference to buying music gear, a bit poor taste and off the mark. I thought perhaps it is just my age I'm getting too old.

So it was really interesting to see this thread. Glad Dolphin have responded and are reviewing it.

Just put a Weiss EQ 1 on the front cover or let's say a Manley Massive Passive, now where is that box of tissues?

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The 'Perfect Mix', like the 'Lost Chord' is just around the corner...

"Calm down dear, it's just a commercial"

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Quote Bazza:

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It's an advert, it's done its job as has been pointed out already, if you don't like it look at something else.

When did everyone get so highly strung around here?

As for being surprised that SOS ran it...

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i don't really understand your point bazza, i mean i could say if you don't like these opinions then don't read them! but i won't, because i think that would be entirely superfluous and also a bit patronising...

Quote Gelled_Fringe:

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i don't really understand your point bazza, i mean i could say if you don't like these opinions then don't read them! but i won't, because i think that would be entirely superfluous and also a bit patronising...

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lol

Funny, some people just don't get what a web forum is about do they

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The 'Perfect Mix', like the 'Lost Chord' is just around the corner...

Irrespective of what I think of the ad, a few weeks ago I wanted to buy a Motu 24 i/o and found it was cheapest at Dolphin.

It was shipped promptly and the service was excellent.

(In the same week I also bought another relatively big-ticket item elsewhere - a Focusrite ISA 428 - because "elsewhere" was cheaper on that item).

Now how many of you would actually do anything different?

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Dynamite with a laser beam...

Quote Rob Williams:

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Firstly I would like to apologise to anybody for found our advert offensive or in bad taste. As a result of this feedback this will be the final issue we will run the lollipop advert.

Secondly with regards to the young lady in the advert she is certainly over 18, we purchased the image from a reputable image library called Getty Images.

Here is the original image:
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/rs/adverts-feedback/original-girl.jpg

Our advert was meant to be cheeky, attention grabbing and stand outs in the magazine. Admittedly this has very little appeal to female audience, but at least 90% of the SOS readership is male. We liked and thought it was funny, lots of people agreed.

We have been getting feedback from our customers and it has been mostly positive, however being honest we have had a few negative comments which we have taken on board.
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/news_story/a/news_id/e/196

We hope that our new advert will be more to your liking:
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/news_story/a/news_id/e/222

It is our objective to become the best music retailer in the industry. We aim to to have all products in stock, expert staff, efficient logistics and a very high level of customer service. We aim to take the online retailing experience to the next level.

I know this last paragraph may sound like the usual propaganda companies say about them but give us a chance, or second chance, by considering us for you next purchase. We are good guys who mean well and work hard at what we do. Judge us on our service not our adverts.

If any of you guys would like to give us any further feedback please contact me directly.

Kind Regards

Rob Williams
Dolphin Music
Tel: 0870 840 9060
Email: rob@dolphinmusic.co.uk
Web: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk

BTW, if any of you are looking for a new sound card please tryout a new search tool we are currently testing:
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/news_story/a/news_id/e/223

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I don't find this in the least bit offensive, just juvenile and irrelevant. If you want to be judged as good guys working hard and offering good service why not advertise yourselves as such......... or is the underlying message behind this advertisement the ultimate expression of service! Pathetic.

Quote wossname?:

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Quote Jon Dickinson:

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In fact, she gives me the horn. Ooohhh.

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So, your name is really Dick Johnson?

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No - my name is Dick Darlington!

you sad bastards

listen to yourselves

Quote morphsville:

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Quote BigAl:

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Isn't the company name offensive to dolphins?

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Yeah, but they didn't do it on porpoise

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the most shocking thing about this thread is that the above joke passed without as much as a comment. Top quality, morph !

as for the advert- well it looks as if you are getting your knickers in a twist over nothing really. If it offends you dont buy from them. Its all about personal choice. i like birds with lollipops so i'll buy from them in the future !

Over-reactions R this thread.

Good God, people, find something worth complaining about. Look around you; this is nothing!

Booooo! Go back to the original ad, she looks hot!
My ex-girlfriend has a mate from Uni who did a bit of modelling to support her studies and got a lot of work simply because she looked quite young, well a few years yonger then her 21 years, but it was only pics for reputable agencies & photographers.

I'm going to masturbate over some dolphins now. Goodnight.

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My Jukebocks

Are they trying for the Jackson vibe?

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/whatshot/jenna_jpgs/jenna2_large.jpg

I think the ad is OK - - and funny. Sod political correctness.

And without going through the mag, wasn't there another similar ad in there as well?

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PA stuff on FB

I wanna see the ad for Dickinson Guitars,on second thought maybe not.

rofl. some of you people shd have been around in the late '70's & early '80's when the major music publication was actually pwned by the company that published "mayfair".

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"We hate all those who diss them, but shot all those who like them"

plus, what about that ad where they had a bunch of mic cables threaded through a womyn's knickers? That ran fairly recently, didn't it?

I think it's a bit naff, I must admit. Music making & music tech is a lot too much of a boys' club, really. (self censorship of suggestion for dolphin's next advert, ahem)

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"We hate all those who diss them, but shot all those who like them"