Here's a good little (or quite big) metaphor for the purpose age. The notional public realm of Euston Station has been redesigned to create a massive private advertising platform, in the place where the departures/arrivals used to be. The first advertiser on the presumably energy-draining billboard now seeks to 'educate commuters' about energy use, in the place that used to educate them about which platform to go to. It's not Saatchi & Saatchi's fault that this new medium is now available; it's not OVO's fault that Network Rail created the billboard; it's not even Network Rail's fault that the money-making incentives all line up this way. But advertisers should be more self-aware about whether it's their place to 'educate' anyone, especially in this invasive context. Instead, they keep mounting the soapbox and getting out the loud hailer. And that's purpose's fault. Because it keeps pushing brands that way: the public must be educated! Meanwhile, the public are staring at the little departure screens, wondering why their trains are so late and why Avanti West Coast's dividends are so high. #purpose #brandpurpose #ovoenergy #theroadtohell #thoughtsonwriting
Paul Bailey
8mo
'OVO Energy Forecast provides a live view into how people are using energy right now'... by using up even more energy!!
Jordan Stokes
8mo
I actually love the principle of this, rather than the execution. Feels straight out of the film 2040 and a way of helping people connect with and feel accountable for their collective impact.
Rowena Roberts
8mo
I miss humility.
richard hill
8mo
So Notwork Rail, which is a public body, so owned by the Department For Transport, so is owned by the country, so paid for by taxpayers, thinks (or must do) that it has its priorities to its customers bang on the nail by not serving them. Think we can see where the problem is, and it’s simply no grasp of what ‘public service’ actually constitutes. F*cks sale. British Rail, anyone?
Andrew Serednyj
8mo
If you get on Twitter and Euston you'll see that people had no problem making similar observations. Made more aggressive by the fact that the departures boards are now apparently split into a couple of areas, at floor height and always obscured by the 1000's of people waiting for their delayed trains!
The word “educate” is often used when talking about advertisers as well. One more sign of the Adland bubble.
cc Lynsey Craig
📈 Marketing Analytics Manager | 🛠 Problem Solver | 🙋 Lifelong Learner
8moThe boast about "generative AI and real-time API data" is also galling. Why not use these things to "power" information that is relevant to the public in the context of Euston? How delayed their train actually is; what platform it will eventually leave from; and how many carriages will be missing. The information screens are not only little now, but so last minute that catching a train is like a running of the bulls.