There's no such thing bad publicity, goes the old cliché.
And if that's true then the marketing department at Magnum ice creams will be patting themselves on the back after a huge new billboard in Piccadilly Gardens was widely mocked for its hilariously bad attempt at showing off a bit of local knowledge. Alongside a photo of a chocolate Magnum the advert boasts: "The only thing that can make lying on Piccadilly Gardens even better ."
But as every regular, or even occasional, visitor to the city centre knows Piccadilly Gardens - notorious for drug use, crime and anti-social behaviour - is not exactly sunbathing central. And at the minute the gardens are still recovering from the Christmas markets and a miserable winter which has left the area with barely any grass.
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So obviously Mancs were quick to mercilessly ridicule the advert. Amy Jones tweeted a picture of the billboard alongside the message: "Good way for Magnum’s marketing department to reveal they’ve never been to or indeed, spoken to anyone from Manchester."
Alex replied: "Enjoying a Magnum in Piccadilly Gardens, or as you might call it, a spice cream."
Drawing Thyme tweeted: "Tell us you’ve never been to Manchester without telling us you haven’t been."
Sam Whyte tweeted: "If you lie down in Piccadilly Gardens a copper comes and throws your belongings in a skip." And Ben 81 IMS posted: "That area of Manchester could not be saved by Jesus himself."
But several others speculated the ad might have been a deliberate mistake to get everyone talking - and, if so, then it's obviously worked. Unilever, Magnum's parents company, has been contacted for a comment.
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