Spin and a crumbling infrastructure.

I ended last week’s Ramble by wondering if in the UK we have become too obsessed by labels, designer or otherwise. And suggesting that maybe labels are a variation on the theme of ‘spin’ or ‘substance’. FiRST Marketing’s Andy Scott responded by asking whether he is alone in defending spin and pointing out that marketing is all about presenting a product or service in a particular manner.

Maybe it’s semantics, but for me there is a difference. Until Messrs Blair and Campbell came on the scene, the only spin that entered into my consciousness was the kind delivered so effectively for England by Monty Panesar. Now I also take it to mean trying to present something so that it appears to be slightly different from reality – what the late Alan Clarke referred to as ‘economy with the actualité’.

I agree with Andy that marketing is all about presenting a product or service in a particular manner, but hopefully in an honest manner. I am not naïve enough to think that the marketing man will necessarily portray his client’s product ‘warts and all’, but for me, good marketing does two things. Obviously it’s primary function is to present the product or service in a favourable manner, but I believe that it should also help the customer to make the right choice.

Perhaps I am the one who is alone here, but I want information; facts that will help me to decide whether to buy A or B. I want transparency, honest comparisons that will let me make up my own mind. I get very frustrated with sales brochures that have ‘artistic’ pictures that make it impossible to see the details that I’m interested in, or flowing prose that might be more suited in a work of fiction.

Talking of flights of fantasy … or maybe nightmares, Heathrow has had its share of publicity in recent months. What doesn’t seem to have hit the headlines though is a growing movement amongst the business community to avoid the place at all costs.

Apparently the International Herald Tribune had an article entitled, “Trains, Planes and Tube: It’s a Right British Mess.” Tom Peters picked up on this in his 3rd August blog posting and commented that he agreed with the view that the British Economic Miracle is threatened by the broken infrastructure. He goes on to say how he refuses to fly to or via Heathrow because of the inevitable delays. I am starting to see other articles appearing in the same vein.

Healthy economies need a sound infrastructure – effective transport and communications, sewers that can cope with heavy rainfall, power and water supplies that are not threatened by floods.

Take transport as an example. Congestion charging is not the answer to traffic problems in cities: vastly improved public transport and more efficient use of roads is. What do I mean by efficient roads? Well, getting rid of traffic lights for a start. Every time they change there is a ‘dead’ period when nothing moves in any direction. Large roundabouts are nearly as bad. Their size means that traffic can travel round them so quickly that it is almost impossible for other traffic to enter them.

The Dutch have carried out experiments with road junction layouts that have dramatically improved the traffic flow while reducing the level of accidents. Can’t we do something imaginative here to improve the situation? And of course, stationary traffic still produces emissions – the most emission effective approach is to maintain a constant speed as far as possible.

Barcelona has a nine line metro system (and more under construction), trams and buses, all of which can be used with a common ticket, a new AVE high speed rail link to Madrid and a modern, three terminal airport with an efficient rail link into the city. And Birmingham has … er, well, it’s got some buses! OK, it’s not all bad, there is a good rail link to the airport, although it doesn’t have multiple metro lines feeding into New Street station. Still, Birmingham does have a world class concert hall with a world class orchestra to play in it. Now if only I could get there! It would take some prodigious spin to convince me that Birmingham had a better transport infrastructure than Barcelona.


David Wike