It's European, so you know it's good...

[Verde]

In all seriousness, though, it's not just any British accent that's used when trying to portray that cultured and refined impression. It's a certain regional British accents that are used (can't remember which ones off-hand).

I don't think it is a specific region. It is more of a generic accent, often referred to as "BBC English".
I tend to speak that way myself, even though I was raised in Norfolk. If I speak in my native dialect I sound like a real dumpling.

V.

 

[Prometheus]

There was a cartoon in the National Lampoon lo these many years ago. The diner was sitting at his table, and the waiter has just removed (with a grand flourish) the cover off the plate he's serving the diner. "It's a fried telephone book! We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it!"

 

[Darth Rotor]

OOddly enough, I'm pretty sure a lot of American adverts are dubbed into English over here, except those incessant ones of Iggy Pop pimping car insurance.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is evidence that the apocalypse is upon us.

Or that Iggy is a freakin' sell out.

Your call.

DR

 

[GreNME]

I don't think it is a specific region. It is more of a generic accent, often referred to as "BBC English".
I tend to speak that way myself, even though I was raised in Norfolk. If I speak in my native dialect I sound like a real dumpling.

V.

But when I listen to or watch the BBC I notice quite a few different accents.

I see what you mean, though. As I'm sure you may have noticed, American news broadcasting has a similar type of generic accent. Thanks for specifying.

 

[Damien Evans]

Greeks appeciate Japanese electronics, German cars, Italian clothes and Russian hookers. About the only thing they insist on being Greek is food.

With good reason! I love Greek food.

 

[Retrograde]

In german speaking countries all kind of new age nonsense products are declared to be developed by NASA.

Which was staffed, in the early days, by a large number of German scientist - and ones from the rest of the world.

I think it's a case of inverse "not invented here" crossed with the grass always being greener where you can't get it easily.

Iggy Pop selling insurance? That's worse than his plugging cruise lines.

 

[Darat]

I've removed the possibly dodgy link. As a FYI please use the report button (

) to bring something like this to the Mod Team's attention.

 

[Matthew Best]

All car insurance ads should in future be done by Hugh Dennis.

Either that, or Iggy Pop should have to say "Are you paying too much for your car insurance?" in his ad.

 

[DC]

My list: Swiss cars, English food, German comedy, Dutch wine...

Oh wait, wrong list.

you have a Monteverdi ?

http://www.tobiasullrich.de/monteverdi/

 

[Eddie Dane]

I know a couple of builders from Brighton, UK.
These guys' accents are only fit to advertise motorcycles, cocaine and power tools.
Maybe some authentic European hooliganism.

So I suppose "posh " English accents are used.

 

[Policenaut]

Don't forget ShamWow. It's made in Germany, and you know the Germans always make good stuff.

Shamwow and Vince Offer (yes that's his real name...a trustworthy name if I've ever heard one) are part of the German propaganda machine. And don't forget the Slap Chop. PS both are pieces of crap that don't work if you couldn't tell from the infomercials.

 

[dafydd]

I live in Belgium,in the Flemish speaking part. Ads aimed at young people here are often done in an American accent.

 

[Aitch]

Add to this the English accent in commercials. I refuse to believe that anyone directing a commercial picks the voice talent regardless of accent - that the English accent is ever a coincidence. So I always have to ask why the American company selling the American product to the American audience chose the voice talent with the English accent. They are trying to communicate or connote something - what?

But don't the bad guys in US films all talk with English accents? Isn't this going to confuse, how can I put it, a certain section of the great US population?

 

[Oliver]

Don't forget ShamWow. It's made in Germany, and you know the Germans always make good stuff.

Huh? Never heard of it over here.

 

[Oliver]

Europe! We gave the world Bolshevism, Fascism and Nazism, which I would argue were not all that good, really.

In that light, America is an European product as well.

 

[KingMerv00]

I've removed the possibly dodgy link. As a FYI please use the report button (http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/helloworld2/buttons/report.gif) to bring something like this to the Mod Team's attention.

Sorry sorry.

My first warning...I feel so evil.

 

[tomwaits]

Huh? Never heard of it over here.

lol, yeah it's a scam. I was joking, that's just what he says in the commercial.

 

[Oliver]

lol, yeah it's a scam. I was joking, that's just what he says in the commercial.

You mean that they claimed the stuff to be a German invention just to fool people into the "German products are superior"-meme?

But if it was a German invention, the products name wouldn't be "ShamWow" over here anyway.

 

[Modified]

With good reason! I love Greek food.

Me too, but I find myself wondering if they really shout "Opah!" when they light up the flaming cheese in Greek restaurants in Greece, like they do in some of them in Chicago (and in the ones where they don't, it's usually because there was an incident).

 

[chefpeon]

I'm an American pastry chef and I make "european pastry". Our shop is promoted as being European. It's a pet peeve of mine. Dammit, I'm proud to be American and make European pastry the AMERICAN way!