He say, “Yes”....
Do you remember “The Man from Del Monte”?
He was a character featured in a series of adverts for the Del Monte fruit company.
The adverts were all variations on a common theme. The scene is a sunkist tropical fruit plantation. The natives are anxiously gathered with their most juicy and succulent fruit ready for the arrival of “The Man”.
On the horizon a helicopter or perhaps a Rolls Royce appears, which delivers “The Man”. He emerges dressed in a linen suit, his face mysteriously hidden by a hat. He approaches the fruit, takes a deep bite, pauses, and announces “Yes”. The natives burst into jubilation- their livelihood safe for another season.
As a child I never thought much about these adverts- but aren’t they actually quite dodgy?
Who is this anonymous and sinister “Man”, who holds the native's lives in a word? Isn't he just a bit the “white-devil” colonial exploiter? Is this the image a fruit company would want to promote? Its hardly fair-trade!
I'd love to watch these adverts again. I don't suppose anybody has them on an old VHS?
He was a character featured in a series of adverts for the Del Monte fruit company.
The adverts were all variations on a common theme. The scene is a sunkist tropical fruit plantation. The natives are anxiously gathered with their most juicy and succulent fruit ready for the arrival of “The Man”.
On the horizon a helicopter or perhaps a Rolls Royce appears, which delivers “The Man”. He emerges dressed in a linen suit, his face mysteriously hidden by a hat. He approaches the fruit, takes a deep bite, pauses, and announces “Yes”. The natives burst into jubilation- their livelihood safe for another season.
As a child I never thought much about these adverts- but aren’t they actually quite dodgy?
Who is this anonymous and sinister “Man”, who holds the native's lives in a word? Isn't he just a bit the “white-devil” colonial exploiter? Is this the image a fruit company would want to promote? Its hardly fair-trade!
I'd love to watch these adverts again. I don't suppose anybody has them on an old VHS?
posted by DrIRH at 6:14 PM
5 Comments:
This one is now where near as bad as the one with the helicopter, but it gives you a flavour http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=24714
The "Man" climbing from the helicopter was more sharply dressed, and the rough italian peasant replaced by a group of desperate south american indigenos. Classic.
Ben
Haha, excellent. Thanks Ben!
Though I agree that this particular advert is certainly more P.C. than the earlier ones.
Also "The Man" looks more " J.R. Hartley" than I remember him. More like he's about to hand out the Werthers Originals than back a shady military coup.
Definitely. I couldn't find any clips of the old heli add at all. Almost as if someone has had them systematically removed...
Makes me think of the recent attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. There are uncanny parallels:
1) A fruit producing tropical country.
2) Charming public school educated English gent with paternalistic instincts but a shocking history of violence. Our 'Man'?
3) Links to shady political organisations and individuals
I mean, how else do you get your helicopter or Boeing 727?
4) Though perhaps not as attractive as the vast unpicked fruit resources in the forests of Equatorial Guinea, there's always the chance of some oil to lubricate the deal.
Wow. I just loved that guy's tags.
Classic 80's advertising - not sure it would be allowed now. Another anachronism that slipped through the politically correct net were the PG Tip monkeys. I am amazed how long they managed to hang on and what they were forced to do in the name of advertising. Not sure PETA would allow it these days...
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