Store offends entire British city, gets perfectly mocked by rival
UPDATED 5 APRIL 2016 2.20PM GMT: ASDA have been in touch with Mashable to confirm that their advert was not an April Fools' prank, and that applicants can call 0113 233 7827 to be considered for the role on ASDA FM. Lines close at midnight on 6 April 2016.
LONDON -- There's something uniquely entertaining about brands trolling each other online.
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The most recent example of this was a clash between British supermarkets ASDA and Morrisons -- with ASDA taking a subtle dig at their rival after the latter managed to inadvertently offend an entire city.
It all started last week, when a Twitter user complained to Morrisons about a casting call -- which appeared to be for a Morrisons social media campaign -- that specified "nobody from Liverpool" when describing desirable applicants.
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Here's a close up of that casting call.
"They should be proper working class people, but not at all like the characters from 'Benefits Street'," read the advert. "They should NOT sound or look posh, and we should skew towards northern accents. And nobody from Liverpool please."
Unsurprisingly, it didn't go down well.
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Morrisons, meanwhile, responded by saying that the instruction didn't come from them.
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"We are angry and we apologise that a third party has published a statement using our name without our knowledge," a Morrisons spokesperson told the Guardian.
"Everyone is welcome at Morrisons and we work really hard to ensure our marketing represents the whole of the nation."
A few days later -- after things had died down a bit -- ASDA struck.
The above advert -- project name "Scouser FM" -- was shared on ASDA's news & blogs section on April 1 (presumably filling the dual function of an April Fools' Day prank and a cheeky dig at their rival).
"A fantastic opportunity has arisen to take over the Asda FM airwaves," reads the advert. "There's only one requirement... you have to be a scouser.
"At Asda we know the Liverpool accent is full of warmth, passion and most of all friendliness, that's why we're looking for a presenter with an extremely broad dialect. Whether you're from Huyton or Toxteth we want to hear from you."
Your move, Morrisons.
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