Tim Skinner

October 11, 2016

1 Min Read
BT: old people can use smartphones too you bunch of ageists!

Nothing helps bring a divided nation together like a condescending marketing campaign highlighting the older generation’s difficulty keeping pace with the rapidly evolving world of technology.

BT has just launched a campaign called “Grannies try Snapchat”, which is fairly self-explanatory. The aim, one can only assume, is to try and shake off some of the negative headlines it has bene gaining through the whole Openreach debacle. Being called an evil dragon is a personal favourite.

So instead BT is trying to come over all fluffy, cuddly and grandma-charming by giving a bunch of pensioners a smartphone loaded with Snapchat and filming their reactions. This was all done under the following pretence:

“Ever wondered what would happen if you gave grannies that have never used social media before, free reign on Snapchat?” asked BT, philosophically.

It’s not a thought that’s ever come up, in all honesty.

“So did BT…”

Wait, what?

Here are some of the grannies’ reactions:

  • Ann Munro, 68, thought she looked “gross” when she used the zombie filter.

  • “Why would you want a melon on your head?” pondered 68-year-old Susan Baskerville

  • 78-year-old Helen Field said Snapchat is a good way to stay in touch.

Ok, to be fair we didn’t say they were priceless reactions.

Presumably BT ran this campaign purely with the altruistic notion of helping to keep the elder generation up with the times.

“At BT, we are proud to help people stay connected and to have been a part of such an advancing era,” said one of the directors of something from BT.

There it is.

About the Author(s)

Tim Skinner

Tim is the features editor at Telecoms.com, focusing on the latest activity within the telecoms and technology industries – delivering dry and irreverent yet informative news and analysis features.

Tim is also host of weekly podcast A Week In Wireless, where the editorial team from Telecoms.com and their industry mates get together every now and then and have a giggle about what’s going on in the industry.

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