The Godfrey and Joseph Friendship Society
Big Mac ads and Labour logos - all in a day's work for veteran advertising man Godfrey Grima
Bit odd how nobody’s thought to make a possible link between Joseph Muscat’s much-publicised statement that he would rather eat at McDonald’s than at a state dinner (which he promptly followed with a visit to the place) and the fact that his friend and adviser Godfrey Grima is paid to promote McDonalds in Malta.
Godfrey is so good at promoting McDonalds that in 2003 he was a recipient of the McDonalds European Marketing Award.
His advertising company – for he is an advertising man really, and has been one for decades, though he was once a stringer for The Financial Times – produces advertisements and promotional material for the fast-food chain, as well as the Labour Party’s new emblem.
Joseph Muscat always refers to Grima as ‘the veteran journalist Godfrey Grima’, particularly when he quotes him about BEE DOUBLE YOU ESS SEE and other grave economic matters. He never says ‘my friend, adviser and electoral sponsor Godfrey Grima, the McDonalds marketing man.’
I suppose it is entirely fitting that the Labour Party is now being marketed by the same outfit that markets McDonalds. Labour even has its very own Ronald McDonald, though the ginger hair is fast departing.
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“Labour even has its very own Ronald McDonald, though the ginger hair is fast departing.”
Thank you for making my week start off with a good hearty laugh.
Hmm, a completely unimportant article. How to give it that little oomph? Why, by resorting to childish, cruel personal comments! Oh the joy of reading what Malta’s ‘intellectual’ elite think.
Why childish and cruel, Desiree? Please don’t tell me Joseph Muscat is the sort of insecure chap who has his ego tied up in his hair.
You don’t see Bruce Willis running off to cry because somebody has pointed out that he’s missing his hair.
The real problem, I think, is that our Joseph thought that being in his late 30s makes him ‘zaghzugh’ rather than middle-aged.
A man can’t campaign on the youth ticket when he’s lost his hair.
I agree with Fairy Liquid that Muscat is no longer a youth, considering his age and the fact that he is married and a father of two. That is definately not the lifestyle of a young man.
Are those who lose their hair in their mid-twenties considered youths? There are plenty of men who lost their hair very early in their lives. I know someone who started getting grey hair at the age of 15. Can we say that she was already old at that age?
[Daphne – No, no more than the reverse. The fact that my hair is still black doesn’t make me young. It makes me a 46-year-old with black hair – a rather unfortunately dark shade, I must admit, because it looks like I’ve hit the dye bottle. But with men and baldness it’s different. Some days ago, somebody posted a link here to an article in one of the London broadsheets, about how important a full head of hair is in (albeit British) politics, and how successful party leaders have tended to have full heads of luxuriant hair. I don’t suppose it applies to Malta, though, because that piece began with the line that you couldn’t imagine a party leader or prime minister wearing a wig. Not in Britain, perhaps, but certainly in Malta.]
I knew Godfrey promotes fast food, but I honestly thought it was Burger King.
Flame grilled, not fried…
Dawn mhux ‘hbieb tal-hbieb’. Dawn hbieb.
Then surely this must have inspired Godfrey in the design of the new Labour emblem.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/full_menu/desserts_and_shakes/strawberry_sundae.html
spot on!
And topped off with nuts, too!
Godfrey Grima was also “our man in Havana” for Private Eye, reporting on Mintoff’s human rights abuses. The same Mintoff who was hero-worshipped by Joseph Muscat.
It’s the same old story with these people. No consistency, no principles. They’d jump into bed with Satan himself for a paycheque and a contract.
Godfrey Grima was also punched and beaten near City Gate by angry Labour Party supporters after Prime Minister Dom Mintoff took exception to some article he had written for ‘The Times’ (London). No need to tell you that this particular edition was not allowed into Malta.
Labour supporters must beware.
Joseph Muscat, the son of a salesman, taking advice from Godfrey the advertising man. Does it all boil down to sales and marketing?
But then, if Godfrey has convinced Joseph to eat McDonalds, and about the party’s new ice cream cone emblem, it is not surprising that Joseph has appointed Godfrey as his adviser.
…u jiena kont nahseb li dawn tal-Lejber izommu l-boghod mill-barunijiet.
Eh, P.Shaw, mhux meta Joseph jigi pprezentat b’xi ‘Double Mac’.
Two very similar products.
One is bad for the well-being of the individual.
The other is bad for that of the collectivity.
Margaret Thatcher had Saathci & Saathci as marketing and advertising gurus and Joe Muscat has Godfrey Grima’s advertising agency. One big difference is that in the former everything was done in a transparent manner. Can’t say the same for the MLP logo brief.
I am eager to know what ‘the veteran journalist’ Godfrey Grima thought about the time when Alfred Sant and Joseph Muscat lambasted the government when McDonalds opened up shop above a football club in Birkirkara. Or wasn’t the ‘veteran journalist’ so close to McDonalds at that time?
I don’t understand why wanting to eat at McDonalds would be a good thing. Shouldn’t he have said he would rather eat his wife’s cooking, or a traditional fenkata, or something a little less, well, unhealthy.
Not to insult those who own, run and work at McDonalds, but since the documentary “Supersize Me”, McDonalds has been toxic to most public figures’ ratings. In fact all fast-food outlets have that effect. No one wants a leader who promotes unhealthy eating.
Rather eat at McDonalds? What on earth for? If it’s not bad enough that Malta is quickly becoming the fattest country in Europe – just google “Malta obesity” – here we have a man who wants to be prime minister, and he’s encouraging the idea.
We need public figures who promote heathy balaced diets and proper food.
Fast food is extremely unhealthy. Just watch Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me and you ll see for yourself how bad they are. In my opinion Dr Muscat could just as well have said he would rather smoke a packet of Rothmans Blue than breathe the air inside the Grand Master’s Palace for all the sense that statement made.
I think that by making that statement and then visiting the place the only message he is putting across is “eat heavily processed food, get fat, clog your arteries, increase your risk of heart attack and diabetes – but at least you won’t be seen as a snob and classist.”
Am I the only one who see this as a mistake?
….alternatively, you can also watch Food Inc.,
Who cares, as long as he is scrastching Grima’s back, then all is well – one happy family, Joe Grima ex-minister, who was sorry that The Times was not burnt to the ground, ex-presenter on Net TV, then back to the sty when Muscat was elected to the leadership. It’s all in the family, with, of course, the truth that they never change.
We can all look forward to the day when formal state dinners are held at McDonald’s, complete with face-painting, games and supervised play-rooms.
No more McDonalds for me, Godfrey and his clown just put me off.
Mela dawn huma l-‘advisers’ ta’ Dr. Joseph Muscat? L-ewwel il-kap tal-oppozizzjoni jallega xi haga falza u l-‘adviser’ imur ibighha barra minn Malta. Dik politika serja u li taghmel hafna gid lill-pajjiz! Imma kif l-arma taghhom dejjem il-hsara u l-vjolenza? Prosit ghalik hej, Godfrey, kemm inti serju!
So the guy is expert at promoting junk.
I wouldn’t let Toni Abela anywhere near one of those plastic Kiddie Meal toys. He’s suffering rubber-puppet deprivation.
Kev, is there something we’re not being told?
http://www.fnordinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/icecream01.jpg
Please stop giving prominence to Godfrey Grima because he is gaining free publicity by your comments and that might lead him to contest the next general election. And the last thing we need is another Grima in the cabinet.
L-aqwa li gab iz-ziemel tieghu minn Brussel u sab postu flok Dr Alfred Sant. Tiftakru kemm hu u huh Joe Grima ikkritikaw lill-Labour meta Alfred Sant kien kap ta’ l-Oppozizzjoni?
[Daphne – Fil-fatt, bil-kontra. Meta Joe kien favur Mintoff, Godfrey kien kontra, u meta Joe kien kontra Sant, Godfrey kien favur imma ma tantx kien juri. U issa t-tnejn friends ma’ Joseph Muscat. Nice.]