Wayne Rooney crucified

The Daily Mail has been trying to stir up a furore over Nike's advert featuring Wayne Rooney wearing nothing more than a bloody cross of St George and a demented expression. "Outrageous! Blasphemy!" The rest of the press seem more interested in taking swipes at the Mail. The Daily Telegraph waxes philosophical over the Crucifixion, while Nike's blogsite rubs its hands with glea over all the free publicity it's receiving. To put this into context, it's worth noting that the advertising agency involved - Wieden & Kennedy - designed this ad. as a poster only. To catch the eye of a speeding motorist, an image needs to be powerful. It certainly caught the eye of the Mail's editor. Rooney is laughing all the way to the bank, of course: £14000 a week to take off his shirt, get painted and look like a jerk. Easy-peasy. The Philips ad. showing a girl's painted face against the English flag is far superior. It conveys its message: an excited footie fan.