4GEE data marketing campaign accidentally gets Irishmen salivating

A Reg reader has pointed out a little cultural snafu in Everything Everywhere's campaign for its 4G service. Everything Everywhere has naturally gone for EE as a moniker, making the campaign's logo, and Twitter hashtag, 4GEE. Unfortunately, the word 'gee' has a number of connotations that Everything Everywhere might not be …

[Anonymous Coward]

In Swahili it means foreskin.

[JetSetJim]

Well that's ruined the imagery for me...

I do like the Bacony-goodness of EE's ad campaign, though.

[Anonymous Coward]

Many meanings

In some less well known Pahari dialects it can mean "smug, self aggrandising trader known for selling over priced goods of inadequate weight that don't work well indoors" or "unseemly" - it just depends on which village and can be confusing.

As for "No, not the part that comes in pairs, the other part." - I tip my hat to you in genuine awe.

[Timbo]

mmmmmmmmmmmm

So, I guess it's a question of whether Irish men will be able to tell if they are in a 4 GEE "spot" - and whether the women of Ireland will be saying "a bit to the left, nope, you've gone past it, back a bit.....ahhhh.....THAT'S IT...just THERE".... :)

[Ken 16]

Re: mmmmmmmmmmmm

That's not how you pronounce it

[xyz]

Suppose it's kinda appropriate really

..gets you really excited, let's you have fun for a few minutes until you're empty and if you want to go again, costs you a fortune....Yup, sound like they've picked the right name for it. Paris, because she'd approve.

[NATO]

Not in Northern Ireland it isnt...

This is news to me in Northern Ireland, I've never heard that said before. Must be a southern thing...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not in Northern Ireland it isnt...

Trust me if you went to Dublin you would here that phrase quite alot :P

[Mage]

Re: Not in Northern Ireland it isnt...

Not in Mid Western Ireland.

Gee = Horse

[joeW]

Re: Not in Northern Ireland it isnt...

Dublin and the midlands mostly. The first person I heard using it was an Italian from Mullingar.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not in Northern Ireland it isnt...

Haven't heard it in the North / Northern Ireland / Province either. But then, that's like expecting Londoners to know Geordie slang, and vice versa.

[Koyaanisq]

Never heard it before, myself. Though, I'm in the West of Ireland (Wesht, rather).

Probably a Dublin thing. I'm not sure, though. Maybe Fair City will have the answer.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a Donegal thing, having worked with a pair lads from there for years - the word gee [pronounced like the start of geese, not like the letter G] isn't used so much as "gee hair" which is a unit of infinitesimal measurement, such as: "Oi, you! Would you turn the bass up a gee-hair, hey!"

[Gerry Doyle 1]

Units

Indeed, and in horse racing 'to win by a GH' would be needed when 'a nose' wouldn't be fine enough.

[Gerry Doyle 1]

Deprecated

It's a fairly old word, perhaps not used so much when there are so many newer alternatives. Common enough where I was from.

[Ian Johnston]

I'm told that "The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange"

was not used in Norn Iron. I can't imagine why.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I'm told that "The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange"

It was! I remember an Orange spokesman (maybe that should be a spokesman from Orange?) quoted in the paper as saying that they assumed people in NI would not be confused by it.

[jonathanb]

Re: I'm told that "The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange"

Because 2/3 of the population would consider it to be a political statement that they agreed with. The other 1/3 of the population would see it as a declaration of war.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I'm told that "The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange"

More like:

10% - a political statement that they agreed with

10% - a declaration of war

80% - a resounding cry of "meh..."

[Valeyard]

Re: I'm told that "The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange"

Ha I remember Uncle Andy using it in a speech in "Give my head peace", laughed my head off

[Phil O'Sophical]

gee

Gee in the US isn't just a way of expressing "mild surprise", it's a minced oath derived from Jesus, and still offends some people. God knows why.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: gee

> it's a minced oath derived from Jesus, and still offends some people.

Blimey!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: gee

Blimey = blind me.

Gee Whiz = annoying American expletive dating from episodes of The Waltons.

2012 say it as it is... WTF!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: gee

Why that minced oath is good enough for Jehovah!

[Cleary1981]

Common Phrase

Ah this brings back fond memories of working in Dublin. "Gee-bag" was one of my bosses favourite phrases

[Anonymous Coward]

Great!

I shall forever be laughing now at anyone called "Guy", considering how it's pronounced in France.

[Gerry Doyle 1]

Re: Great!

We sniggered in school at Guy de Maupassant, and it's making me laugh even now. Can't watch 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' without a grin every time she says the blokes name.

Come to think of it, the way we pronounce the word 'can't' often raises an eyebrow in the UK...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well-chosen name, then.

How is multiple ladies in a state of undress NOT the effect of broadband?

Before broadband, they never visited me; now they're there 24/7.

[pc]

It's a Dublin thing..

And the 'G' in 'Gee' is hard. Stop sniggering at the back.

[Great Bu]

Surely it is apt ?

What's the point of having a fast internet connection on your 'phone if not for downloading lots of movies of 'Gee' ?

[jonathanb]

Re: Surely it is apt ?

Exactly, and the monthly data allowance isn't enough to download even one such movie in highly compressed standard definition.

[randomtask]

Must be a West-Brit Dub thing

Sounds like something the Dub4 or Dub4 wannabees might come out with...

[Gerry Doyle 1]

Re: Must be a West-Brit Dub thing

You couldn't be more wrong.

[Winkypop]

Gee is pronounced as in...

Gee W Bush.

[Anonymous Coward]

serves them right, those t(..)ts :)

what happened to the good old verification stage, aka, let's think if this name's gonna raise red flags in any of the, on my count: one... two... three, languages used on any major market we want to sell it in.

Too large to bother about such trivia? Well, tough tits!

[Anonymous Coward]

ummm

> they reckon they're going to get four ladies in a state of undress, not some superfast mobile internet connection.

Isn't that what a superfast internet connection is for?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bacon thumbs up, lame ripoff remake of Fenton thumbs down.