
It's not unusual1 on leaving Victoria Station, to be accosted by someone advertising something, or giving away fliers or free samples.
Often, during the summer, there will be hoards of young people wearing some sub-McDonald's style uniform passing out samples of some company's latest high-fibre crunchy cheese and onion hair gel, or low-fat, additive-free high carbohydrate energy spray.
Sometimes the product is passing useful, like the cartons of cranberry juice pushed into commuters' hands one day last summer. But generally the samples or fliers are of or for items the company wants to sell, but hasn't got enough faith in to justify a proper advertising campaign or product launch.
This morning, therefore, when I exited the Tube at Victoria, I was not surprised to find small groups of young women handing out post cards to passers-by. I took one, glanced at it, saw the HMV logo and put it in my pocket. I didn't think about it beyond vague speculation that it might be a money off voucher for the HMV Megastore in the run up to Christmas. Imagine my surprise then, to find that I have two cards advertising the release of a DVD with the curious title Girls on Trampolines, complete with a picture of a thong-clad, and well-endowed young lady maintaining her modesty2 with her hands.
I suspect that someone in HMV won a job lot of this DVD in a poker game and wants to cut his or her losses by selling them on, but wisely reckons that a national advertising campaign would be counter productive.
Just when you thought that the depths had been plumbed…
1 Copyright and TM Tom Jones
2 But only just.