TfL "brighter" campaign

[Bletchleyite]

The video I think gives some context to "brighter" by giving that image of a nicer city - I'd still maintain audio fails to do that.

I find the guy's accent grossly annoying and with a patronising tone, but that's I guess personal. It's a similar accent to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, who I've always found to come across as quite condescending.

 

[Thirteen]

The campaign works best in video form, I know some don't want TfL to spend money at all but they probably have a set amount per year for marketing so why not highlight the improvements to the network.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The campaign works best in video form, I know some don't want TfL to spend money at all but they probably have a set amount per year for marketing so why not highlight the improvements to the network.

With TfL's budget being tight, cutting any marketing budget would seem to make sense - London isn't like other places, people know and use TfL's services anyway.

 

[Thirteen]

With TfL's budget being tight, cutting any marketing budget would seem to make sense - London isn't like other places, people know and use TfL's services anyway.

Tight budget doesn't mean cutting any marketing budget, you still need to advertise like with ULEZ for example to inform people.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

So there’s certainly a history of using TFL to promote his personal brand image

I think the Mayor of London has been a personality cult from the start, with Ken Livingstone's photo on everything in the early years. TfL is naturally one area where the mayor can make their presence felt, and they've all made the most of it

 

[AlbertBeale]

I think the Mayor of London has been a personality cult from the start, with Ken Livingstone's photo on everything in the early years. TfL is naturally one area where the mayor can make their presence felt, and they've all made the most of it

Perhaps that's inevitable from the way that the Mayor+GLA system was deliberately established, revolving around one person with most of the power. If you do that, rather than having a traditional council set-up with more sharing of power and portfolios, then this is the result. Hence the annoyance amongst many Londoners when the GLC - as abolished by Thatcher - wasn't resurrected under Blair, but instead replaced by the system we currently have. (The referendum to do this was originally going to ask the two questions - re the Mayor and the Assembly - separately; but when it became clear that there would be lots of split votes [mainly pro-Assembly anti-Mayor, but with some Tories calling for vice versa] it was changed to have just one vote for the whole plan. Which resulted in a lot of deliberately spoilt papers!)

The same criticism applies to many other local authorities around the country with all the power in the hands of one person.

 

[Turtle]

If he keeps winning, there's surely a pretty fair assumption that people aren't yet sick of him.

I can't vote as I don't live in London, but if he wins he clearly isn't as unpopular as some people keep assuming.

We'll find out next year.

I found a video in correlation with this advertising campaign, and I don't think it's bad at all. It drums the message home that TfL wants to make journeys as pleasant as possible, highlighting its strategies it's recently taken.

I agree. Think of the pre and post war advertising by London Transport. Secrets of the Underground currently on TV has covered these in some detail.

 

[ATrainSpotter]

To me it comes across as somewhere between condescending (e.g. the 20mph one), with the voice over talking as if they were talking to a two-year-old, and just plain bizarre, e.g. nobody ever says "my bus service has got brighter" when they mean it's improved. And the visuals are just cheap looking overexposed pictures of e.g. Tube trains.

LOL, funnily enough I saw the exact advert on a advertising board the other day and thought the exact same thing in my head.

 

[renegademaster]

If he keeps winning, there's surely a pretty fair assumption that people aren't yet sick of him.

I can't vote as I don't live in London, but if he wins he clearly isn't as unpopular as some people keep assuming.

We'll find out next year.

If he wins it's just means people don't like the Tory which has been put up, and London Tories have been a dismal opposition in recent years.

 

[cemdog]

One does struggle to think of one single thing aspect of London which has got better during Khan's tenure. A friend of mind waxes lyrical about him, yet I've asked that question a number of times and am yet to receive a tangible response. Even if one removes personality, Khan has been pretty non-effective by any measure. At best it should be rather embarrassing that even Johnson seemed to achieve more.

lets not get political, but still remember that a labour mayor with a conservative government isn't going to have an easy time in office! nothing seems to have gotten worse that's in his control in my view, though.

 

[yorkie]

As this thread is outwith the General Discussion section of the forum, can we try to keep politics to a minimum please?

If anyone wants to have a political debate, this should be posted in GD.

Thanks.

 

[Ianigsy]

As the late Brian Redhead once said on the Today programme, ”And the weather today will be dull in the south but brighter in the north, much like the people”.