Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Balls

Necuno

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Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Balls
IF THE length of skirts on ladies toilet signs has had you hot under the collar, don’t fret anymore - its part of a massive viral advertising campaign for Mrs. Balls Chutney.

A half-page advert in Sunday Times earlier this month and radio spots have had the nation guessing what the National Skirt Lengthening Campaign - to change skirt length depictions on public toilet signs everywhere - is all about.

Last night all was revealed during a television advert flighted on SABC2, unmasking the campaign around not changing Mrs Balls Chutney.

Julie Maunder, an art director at advertising firm DDB SA, said the campaign has elicited 6 000 disgruntled voice messages left on a fake call centre number, 360 000 clicks on the campaign website www.n-s-e-p.co.za, thousands of incredulous emails and 4000 hits on their Youtube video in a matter of days. The campaign has featured on over 200 blogs in 23 countries and is rumoured to be googled more than the Joost van der Westhuizen sex tape.

"We wanted to create a community of interest around the product. People are so sensitive about change these days - changing street names, changing government. The idea was to get people riled up about changing something for no reason. We were able to create way more hype than the R500 000 budget we had," Maunder said. - Borrie la Grange

for those who missed it....
 
It's Mrs Ball, whose chutney is called Mrs. Ball's.

From http://www.shop-southafricans.com/mrsballschutney.aspx

"The name chutney was adopted from a Hindi word in India, chatni, meaning 'made from fresh fruit and spices". In South Africa it's mainly used as a marinade and a sauce to accompany meat, curries and bobotie.Undoubtably the most famous South African Chutney is Mrs Ball's.

In 1865 Mrs. Ball was born as Amelia Alice Elizabeth Adkins in Fort Jackson, East London, the same town where her Canadian parents were stranded in 1852 on their way to Australia. According to www.ballfamilyrecords.co.uk her father, Henry James Adkins, captain of the SS Quanza, and his wife, Sarah Spalding, left the coastal town, Nova Scotia in Canada for Australia. Although the boat was lost off the coast of East London, fortunately for future generations of South Africans, the captain, his wife and her chutney recipe survived.

It was here that their daughter, Amelia Adkins, was born thirteen years later. She married Herbert Saddleton Ball in Fort Jackson, and was thereafter known as Mrs. Ball. Both Mrs. Ball and her sister, Florence (known as Aunt Flo) received the secret chutney recipe from their mother, who in turn got it from her mother.

Mrs. Ball started making the chutney after she moved to Johannesburg with her husband and seven children. Her friends and family loved it so much that the business started blossoming on its own. The demand increased; Mrs Ball cooked and her husband bottled.

Home Industries started selling her chutney and by 1918 she sold about 24 bottles a day, which in the years to come grew to 8 000 bottles a day.

In 1921 the Ball family moved to Cape Town. After living in Kalk Bay and Diepriver they settled in Plumstead (where her husband took over the chutney cooking). He died in 1935 and she moved to Fish Hoek where she continued to make chutney in her backyard with the help of her grandson, "Uncle Bob". The business was later moved to Woodstock with twelve new workers.

In 1957/’58 Mrs Ball’s chutney was exported to England for the first time . In the early seventies, Brooke Bond Oxo bought over the business, which was later sold to Unifoods. Still owned by them today, Mrs. Ball’s chutney is being made in Johannesburg and exported to Germany, Britain, New Zealand and Australia."
 
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It's Mrs Ball, whose chutney is called Mrs. Ball's.

From http://www.shop-southafricans.com/mrsballschutney.aspx

"The name chutney was adopted from a Hindi word in India, chatni, meaning 'made from fresh fruit and spices". In South Africa it's mainly used as a marinade and a sauce to accompany meat, curries and bobotie.Undoubtably the most famous South African Chutney is Mrs Ball's.

In 1865 Mrs. Ball was born as Amelia Alice Elizabeth Adkins in Fort Jackson, East London, the same town where her Canadian parents were stranded in 1852 on their way to Australia. According to www.ballfamilyrecords.co.uk her father, Henry James Adkins, captain of the SS Quanza, and his wife, Sarah Spalding, left the coastal town, Nova Scotia in Canada for Australia. Although the boat was lost off the coast of East London, fortunately for future generations of South Africans, the captain, his wife and her chutney recipe survived.

It was here that their daughter, Amelia Adkins, was born thirteen years later. She married Herbert Saddleton Ball in Fort Jackson, and was thereafter known as Mrs. Ball. Both Mrs. Ball and her sister, Florence (known as Aunt Flo) received the secret chutney recipe from their mother, who in turn got it from her mother.

Mrs. Ball started making the chutney after she moved to Johannesburg with her husband and seven children. Her friends and family loved it so much that the business started blossoming on its own. The demand increased; Mrs Ball cooked and her husband bottled.

Home Industries started selling her chutney and by 1918 she sold about 24 bottles a day, which in the years to come grew to 8 000 bottles a day.

In 1921 the Ball family moved to Cape Town. After living in Kalk Bay and Diepriver they settled in Plumstead (where her husband took over the chutney cooking). He died in 1935 and she moved to Fish Hoek where she continued to make chutney in her backyard with the help of her grandson, "Uncle Bob". The business was later moved to Woodstock with twelve new workers.

In 1957/’58 Mrs Ball’s chutney was exported to England for the first time . In the early seventies, Brooke Bond Oxo bought over the business, which was later sold to Unifoods. Still owned by them today, Mrs. Ball’s chutney is being made in Johannesburg and exported to Germany, Britain, New Zealand and Australia."
And we are eternally grateful for it being imported to the U.K. :D
 
It's Mrs Ball, whose chutney is called Mrs. Ball's.

Yes, but squire, the chutney itself is referred to as Mrs. Ball's so we would not be talking about the lovely lady but her creation, would we not?
 
Yes, but squire, the chutney itself is referred to as Mrs. Ball's so we would not be talking about the lovely lady but her creation, would we not?

Correct. However, one would not then say Mrs. Balls, as it is Mrs. Ball's creation. (referring to the OP title "Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Balls".)

Whatever. I always have at least four of the varieties in my pantry. :D
 
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Correct. However, one would not then say Mrs. Balls, as it is Mrs. Ball's creation. (referring to the OP title "Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Balls".)

Whatever. I always have at least four of the varieties in my pantry. :D

lol, you are wellcome to take it up with the times :D

though their chutney is still good :)
 
Correct. However, one would not then say Mrs. Balls, as it is Mrs. Ball's creation. (referring to the OP title "Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Balls".)

Whatever. I always have at least four of the varieties in my pantry. :D

Ah right, so either:

Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Ball

or

Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Ball's?

Well done, you eye is on the... er... ball, as it were :D
 
cant see the video, its blocked.

So whats the skirt lengthening thing got to do with Mrs.Balls? I dont get it? How are they related
 
Ah right, so either:

Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Ball

or

Skirt lengthening. It’s Mrs Ball's?

Well done, you eye is on the... er... ball, as it were :D

What the hell is wrong with journalists in this country? They missed such a golden opportunity...

"Skirt lengthening campaign - it's Balls."
 
Take a look here, chaps...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ4JZRyHUVU

Mrs. Ball's wanted to show just how silly it is to change something for no good reason, so we invented the National Skirt Extension Project, demanding that all ladies' toilet signs be replaced with a version bearing a longer skirt. To those who stood up and said "This is ridiculous", clearly we agree. If something doesn't need changing, don't change it. That's why at Mrs. Ball's, nobody changes our chutney. ... Thank you for being such good sports ... No cyclists were harmed in the making of this video.
 
What the hell is wrong with journalists in this country? They missed such a golden opportunity...

"Skirt lengthening campaign - it's Balls."

Actually, (being a former journo myself), I prefer

"Ball behind skirt campaign"

:D
 
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