GoCompare.com have made a spectacular response to the nation’s dislike for the character – winning previous years polls for most irritating ads by hiring advertising agency Dare back in February with an account worth a reported £28 million.

A spokesman at GoCompare.com said “It is a fun campaign and as the reaction on Twitter shows…Gio is very important to us, but we realise there are some people that don’t love him in quite the same way that we do”. Social media sites are awash with people tweeting, liking and posting images of defaced Gio Compario ads which shows just how convincing they are!

The “graffiti” billboard ads are being used alongside the new TV as campaign, currently played by Welsh tenor Wynne Evans and looks to be replaced by Sue Ryder a warmer and less controversial celebrity. But hard as they may try to avoid such controversy they have fallen into yet more by offending the Samaritans amongst other charities who say one of the adverts – “Go jump off a cliff” trivialises suicide which they are heavily playing down.

We think it’s a great campaign and will surely win many votes both from the public and the design world and any offense caused is clearly by accident and perhaps due to a bit of over sensitivity.