Even more adverts you despise

If the ad misdirected you from its message with completely different cues before the stroke punchline, theres a chance you'll not get the message. Their approach might work in a horror film, but it doesn't work here. You need to show the effects of a stroke, and reinforce the F.A.S.T mnemonic, Face, Arms, Speech and Telephone 999. The previous ad, also a party iirc, had a bloke with a stroke an it was very memorable. This new one is like some TicTok thing.

Def a journo. They went ballistic the last time an actor was used in a newsroom shot. In the beginnings they used theatrically trained people to actually read the news, the NUJ stamped that out a long time ago.

Assuming they were athletes and not just fit actors? I didn't notice if they were 'real'. What's an athlete anyway, someone who turns up hungover yet plays a full junior club match, scores even? It's a bit like the Rte publicity late late inserts for the Traitors 'Stars'. Stars? Nobodies last month, nobodies next month. Andy Warhol was right, everyone's famous for 5 minutes.

'Real' athletes. I've seen that ad mutiple times, and I never even noticed, so apologies to the well known pair. The gobby actor does her job and takes all your attention. Could have used actors and saved themselves a few quid, but I don't begrudge the runners making a few quid either.

Does anyone remember the late late winner of the invention slot who had a silly plastic thing for amatuer bricklayers to lay bricks even slower than normal, but level. He turned up in a few cringey ads until he finally went back to the day job, farming I think. That was before social meeja

Having known a couple of world class athletes, I can guarantee you they would have been more than happy to appear.

Athletes like Kate and Sharlene make very little from their sport, and have huge expenses. They have few income opportunities, it's a tough life in sports like athletics, cycling, swimming unless you are the very top of the game.

They no doubt got a few grand for being in the ad, and the repetition of the ad won't harm their profile. So while I don't particularly care for the ad, I say fair play to 123.ie for involving them.

Money in sport is monstrously imbalanced. Raheem Sterling is not even training with his club, let alone playing, while he sits unwanted in the shop window. Poor sod, he trains alone to keep fit, and has to get by until he gets a new club on 371 a week. That's €371k, €371,000.