My opinion of Halfords has just gone up 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4qrCRPnqlms&gl=GB

(how do you embed it?)

The ads great but the shops still the same as they’ve always been.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4qrCRPnqlms&gl=GB[/video]

I saw it last night when watching the tour series. Well made advert. Though part of me grumbled at the hipster/instagram/retro feel that seems to be everywhere at the moment.

Better than the Tour series Boardman bikes sponsorship bit with quotes from Boardman himself on them.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qrCRPnqlms[/video]

To embed just copy the direct URL from the address bar and then click video on the forum paste the link and then click Ok. Done.

Nice find.

Interesting that it’s

a) not advertising a specific product, just a ‘feeling’

and

b) that they focused on camping as a showcase.

Looking in their stores now it’s clear how few people do their own maintenance compared with some years ago – the amount of floorspace for ‘parts’ is pretty minimal.

Anyone else think “John Lewis” when they first saw it?

The ads great but the shops still the same as they’ve always been.

My Halfords (Dorking) had disc caliper shims in stock just when I needed them, has a decent selection of reflector bands and so on, and when I needed a not in-stock car battery they offered to get one in and drop it off at my door.

Not bad I’d say.

The helments arent very period? otherwise, reminds me of my yoof.

Redted fail

Yay – I wasn’t the only forty-something who saw it and liked it then. We must be the new target audience for Halfords 😯

Blatantly trying to appeal to people of a certain age who remember going on camping/cycling trips in the 70’s and 80’s….. but a good advert never the less 😆

Blatantly trying to appeal to people of a certain age who remember going on camping/cycling trips in the 70’s and 80’s….. but a good advert never the less

Becasue everyone older than those kids int he 70’s was too high to remember the ‘trip’ ?

FWIW you can still get car parts at hafords, but they don’t sell from shelf space, you don’t stand there and think ohhh the filter from a volvo v70 looks nice I’ll have that because the one for your belingo wasnt interesting enough to grab your eye, you find the part number in the catalogue and ask for it at the counter on a lot of things. Where as stuff like tents, bikes, stereo’s, alloy weels sells more based on you being able to see, touch, hear them and therefore are a more profitable use of the floorspace.

The local bike hut is as good as the LBS for most LBS type things (tubes, cables, etc) and the staff seem to know what they’re on about.

Good advert and even better song , Im surprised Halfords gets such a bad rep whilst Toys ‘ R us is selling bikes. I bought my son a Mongoose logo BMX for £140 from my LBS , Toy’s R us sell horrendous BMX’s and kids F/S bikes for the same price .
At least most Carrera bikes are fairly rideable and have low end shimano / SRAM componetry.

whats with all the youtube comments about H&S ruining stuff like this these days

freakin telegraph readers ruining everything by whinging about elf n safety

Never mind Halfords…who else immediately thought of this advert when they heard The Skids?

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAsmf1LGcpA[/video]

tinas

and the staff seem to know what they’re on about.

Not at my local bikehut(s) they don’t. My mate worked for one just slightly further afield and he overheard another staff member advising a customer to spray GT85 on his discs to stop them squealing – true story.

*rummages his flat for a clothes-peg and playing card*

Are Halfords actually selling the 1970s? Can you go and buy it? How big is it?

Shame they don’t sell the bikes on the advert really.

Nice advert, great music but not exactly what’s in their stores is it.

(I always end up saying the same thing) My local halfords is better than most LBSs I’ve used… Not as good as the best ones but they’ve given me generally good service, and never actively tried to steal from me. So that’s good.

Nice ad.

Nice advert, great music but not exactly what’s in their stores is it.

That’s because everyone knows what’s in their stores, what they need is a reason to go and buy it.

And the reason, their ad says, is to get the kit so your kids can have a good time like you did when you grew up. Works for me.

The playing card and clothes peg was a stroke of genius. WANT!

They do sell the new bikes in the ad

I thought the ad was for Volvo. The ad ended and after reading the logo I suddenly thought “sorry what was that advertising again?”.

Honestly a bad advert IMO. Did nothing for me.

Boring ad.

Into the valley
Betrothed and divine
Realisations no virtue
But who can define
Why soldiers go marching
Those masses a line
This disease is catching
From victory to stone
Ahoy! ahoy! land, sea and sky
Ahoy! ahoy! boy, man and soldier
Ahoy! ahoy! deceived and then punctured
Ahoy! ahoy! long may they die
Out of concealment
Blank and stark eyed
Why so uncertain
This culture deceives
Prophesised, brainwashed
Tomorrow’s demise
All systems failing
The placards unroll
Ahoy! ahoy! land, sea and sky
Ahoy! ahoy! boy, man and soldier
Ahoy! ahoy! deceived and then punctured
Ahoy! ahoy! long may they die
Time for the audit
The gathering trial
A collector’s dilemma
Repositioned and filed

Ooohh.. Raleigh Grifter, I had one of those!
Weighed about the same as the Eiffel tower and had a silly 3 speed hub, actuated by a little chain that seemed to break on a weekly basis.

great memories though…