tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242335424542672052.post702462928709816259..comments2024-01-31T11:08:31.873+00:00Comments on Three Hours to Hackney: Cardiff in the rainPhil Stockleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06317690157738868544noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242335424542672052.post-3306866860194967592015-11-30T12:05:53.622+00:002015-11-30T12:05:53.622+00:00I totally agree and it is fair to say that some sm...I totally agree and it is fair to say that some smaller companies do execute branding better than some of the big boys. I've noted some horrendous schemes from First for example but some excellent examples from EYMS who do mostly everything in-house and deliver an almost timeless approach without sacrificing innovation.<br /><br />When I was following Velvet, that's the one thing that I could identify with was the balance between a local company but that wasn't to the detriment of the branding, vehicles or indeed the publicity. The website was beautifully turned out and I loved the cheeky image it portrayed and the use of social media long before the big four. Even now I think the Velvet approach is not matched by some whose Twitter staff don't fully understand what the customer is trying to say. How many times will a thread end with the passenger saying, "oh it doesn't matter" or less polite versions. The whole package has to be there I feel in this day and age.<br /><br />Vinyls and even contravision are both no-nos in my book. Buses are blessed with so much aluminium, you're not telling me that we really need our best advantage over the car - especially on a double decker! - covered up with a picture of something irrelevant. I do feel sometimes that the decision maker has never caught the bus as a customer which is where you benefit as you see things from the eye of the one who keeps you in business. A rare commodity these days in public transport.<br /><br />On a not completely separate note, I enjoyed your column in this month's Buses magazine and it does link in with the almost Tesco Value approach where AOT Coaches are competing against TrentBarton. Again AOT (awful acronym!) provide a good brand, not trying to be too cocky but are filling a niche which TrentBarton (a Waitrose in supermarket terms) really isn't able to capitalise on. It would, however, be nice to see the little bits there that we now expect from our buses such as a good brand which instills confidence in our corporate-loving world. Fat Transport Blokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05332471443458134971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242335424542672052.post-24428857604584472942015-11-30T11:36:43.231+00:002015-11-30T11:36:43.231+00:00Very thought provoking, thank you.
I worry slight...Very thought provoking, thank you.<br /><br />I worry slightly that as an industry we sometimes judge the big operators by different standards to small operators (although in this case there can't be that much difference in size between NAT as a whole and Cardiff Bus) and because of this we allow small operators to get away with things that would be a matter of ridicule if perpetuated by larger companies.<br /><br />When I was running my own business I was always anxious to avoid falling into that trip and while particular aspects of the marketing might focus on the fact we were small, local and family run as a positive selling point, overall my view was and remains that there is a standard to which we must all aspire and that is the same regardless of size if we are to move our industry forward. I never had any time for fellow small operators making out that they should be viewed through rose tinted spectacles just because of their size.<br /><br />Certainly it is true that we can't all afford Best Impressions but that is only part of the solution, and there are ways of looking the part and being professional without laying out thousands on specialist designers. You don't need Best Impressions to tell you not to stick huge vinyls across the window for example.<br /><br />In a well-functioning market, I can see there is a case for an operator that has a clear view of its place at the 'value' end of the market to present a deliberately basic image, but that still has to be done in a professional way and I don't sense that this is the case here at all - it seems to me that NAT are trying to present themselves as a quality option and almost but not quite achieving it, but they have lots of the ingredients right and it wouldn't take much for them to really raise the bar. Especially if the competition thinks that "getting you there" is something to be proud of!Phil Stockleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06317690157738868544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3242335424542672052.post-22382551756414195512015-11-30T10:42:33.260+00:002015-11-30T10:42:33.260+00:00A great blog as always Phil.
I too had the experi...A great blog as always Phil.<br /><br />I too had the experience of trying NAT out and I've been watching this operator with great interest. As you point out the investment was potentially risky and it seems it has paid off in the short-term at least and NAT should be applauded for thinking outside of the box. I understand they are doing a similar cross-city route for Newport.<br /><br />What did strike me is that Cardiff Bus have a great brand but NAT seem to rely heavily on Calibri typeface and everything appears a bit too DTP for my liking. I'm not suggesting they have the money to employ Mr Stenning but for me this would overcome a lot of issues. A good operator doesn't necessarily have a good marketing chap who has the eye of Best Impressions. Little things such as Sunday's with the greengrocer's apostrophe makes it seem more slapdash than Cardiff Bus which could afford the wrong impression.<br /><br />It's great to see someone doing something different but the experience these days is much more than a new, flashy bus. Everything has to be above the benchmark now and that isn't always a bad thing!Fat Transport Blokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05332471443458134971noreply@blogger.com