Nationwide advert singing sisters receive death threats and abuse

'It’s one thing not to like an advert, another to threaten to kill the stars of it. Abuse is abuse and that’s never okay in our book', says bank's chief marketing officer

Nationwide singing sisters Joan and Flo have been plagued with death threats and vitriolic abuse in the wake of their advertising campaign for the bank.

The comedy duo’s songs, which include a tongue-in-cheek piano and percussion number, have angered viewers since their first Nationwide advert was shown in December.

Nationwide, the largest building society in the world, has said it plans to work in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police to investigate “vile, abusive and misogynistic comments about the duo”.

Joan and Flo, who have gained critical acclaim for their work on the international comedy circuit, were named one of the top ten shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the Amused Moose Comedy Awards for 2016. The siblings are originally from Portsmouth but are now based in Toronto.

Nationwide’s chief marketing officer Sarah Bennison condemned the abuse in a statement released yesterday.

“When we saw an audition tape for Flo & Joan, gut feel told us all that they [had] a delightfully fresh take on things like loyalty which are at the heart of Nationwide”, she told The Independent.

“Social media has provided a great instant barometer of reaction – good and bad. The huge amount of likes and shares have been great.

“But then there are others who have chosen to post the most vile, abusive and misogynistic, comments about the duo. It is not just our Flo & Joan adverts that generate these comments, it is also our adverts that feature people of different colours, backgrounds and perceived sexuality, which attract the most criticism.

“That’s why it is important to call out those persistent offenders who put out vile comments on a regular basis and who should really know better. That is why Nationwide is looking to work with other brands, industry bodies, such as ISBA, and the appropriate authorities to look at the true scale of this worrying trend to spread hate from behind a keyboard and attempt to create a solution to tackle the issue.

“It’s one thing not to like an advert, another to threaten to kill the stars of it. Abuse is abuse and that’s never okay in our book.”

While some social media users subjected the sisters to abuse, others rushed to their defence and condemned the criticism they received.

“Personally, I find @FloandJoan very entertaining. Any annoyance is caused not by their act but because we get to see the same ad almost every ad break,” Twitter user, Dave Smith, said.

“That’s hardly their fault. As for the comparison to loving @marmite fortunately I love that too. Haters – use a mute button!”

Another said: ”Used to hate those singing sisters on the Nationwide adverts but they’ve slowly found a place in my heart”.