Bond Street "temporary rebrand"

[danm14]

Interestingly, a Burberry rebranding of Bond Street was used as an example "sponsored station" ten years ago in a report by the GLA Conservatives - "Untapped Resource - Bearing Down on Fares through Sponsorship".

Meet You At Burberry By Bond Street? Or At Virgin Euston?

Meet You At Burberry By Bond Street? Or At Virgin Euston?

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

"You could be meeting your friends for a shopping date at 'Burberry by Bond Street' tube station, or catching a fast train into 'Virgin Euston', if a proposed new money-spinner gets underway."

The link to the report in the article is dead but it can be found at https://assets.londonist.com/uploads/2013/05/untapped-resource_4.pdf. The reference to Burberry by Bond Street is in the example Tube map that forms Figure 3 on page 4.

 

[AlterEgo]

Personally, it's not a good campaign because it's a bit bland whereas the Star Trek and PS5 ones were clever but the idea that TfL shouldn't be allowed to partner with brands is silly.

That’s not what people are arguing and you know it.

 

[Purple Train]

It's not as if it's an obvious joke either!

Utterly, utterly stupid and daft idea.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

This matter made the BBC News this evening ( 19.30 bulletin ) with specific mention of confused passengers.

 

[AlterEgo]

A much better way of sponsoring the station would be wrapping Burberry check on the tiling for a few weeks, or have the staff be issued with a uniform shirt that was the same as any other uniform, but had Burberry check trims. In fact do anything other than change the station's name and change all the wayfinding. Urghhh.

 

[Turtle]

A much better way of sponsoring the station would be wrapping Burberry check on the tiling for a few weeks, or have the staff be issued with a uniform shirt that was the same as any other uniform, but had Burberry check trims. In fact do anything other than change the station's name and change all the wayfinding. Urghhh.

A very sensible suggestion.

 

[321over360]

This is so wrong, especially if all the entire station signage has been altered, yes maybe TFL want to gain some revenue as they always claim to be "broke" but to potentially confuse all passengers with all the signs altered is completely wrong and station wide gimmicks like this shouldn't happen again

 

[LUYMun]

Interestingly, a Burberry rebranding of Bond Street was used as an example "sponsored station" ten years ago in a report by the GLA Conservatives - "Untapped Resource - Bearing Down on Fares through Sponsorship".

I do recall Shaun Bailey's campaign included more sponsorship on the TfL network, so goodness knows how that would've gone under a Conservative mayor...

 

[Meerkat]

I do recall Shaun Bailey's campaign included more sponsorship on the TfL network, so goodness knows how that would've gone under a Conservative mayor...

The obvious thing is to have advertising vinyl wraps on the trains. It seems so obvious, unless they decide that you usually too near the train to read them?

 

[Deepgreen]

One of the infuriating aspects of this is that there has been a constant effort by LT, then LU, then TfL to improve passengers' awareness and confidence in navigating the system through a comprehensive and very strictly-controlled signage and corporate identity regime, which this sort of rubbish instantly starts to undo. Of course, this sort of decline of standards is evident everywhere - the BBC can no longer be held up as a bastion of good grammar, for example, when it certainly was not very long ago. I can see the decline only accelerating in the irresistible face of commercial pressure, I'm afraid.

 

[Adam Williams]

Interestingly, a Burberry rebranding of Bond Street was used as an example "sponsored station" ten years ago in a report by the GLA Conservatives - "Untapped Resource - Bearing Down on Fares through Sponsorship".

Meet You At Burberry By Bond Street? Or At Virgin Euston?

Meet You At Burberry By Bond Street? Or At Virgin Euston?

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

The link to the report in the article is dead but it can be found at https://assets.londonist.com/uploads/2013/05/untapped-resource_4.pdf. The reference to Burberry by Bond Street is in the example Tube map that forms Figure 3 on page 4.

At least in those examples they kept the actual station names within the "sponsored" name. I still think it's tacky, but most people would still work out "Virgin Euston" is still "Euston", ditto "Burberry by Bond Street".

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Do passengers like them? When I passed Bond Street on the Lizzie yesterday one passenger seemed overjoyed at the new roundel, got his phone out to take a picture and pointed out to his young daughter.

 

[Mountain Man]

Has anyone asked their social media team for a comment on Twitter or similar? Surely if phrased as a polite question then would struggle to justify not answering.

 

[Mojo]

Do passengers like them? When I passed Bond Street on the Lizzie yesterday one passenger seemed overjoyed at the new roundel, got his phone out to take a picture and pointed out to his young daughter.

I saw loads of people taking photos of the signs at the front of the station yesterday off of Oxford Street.

 

[whoosh]

Meanwhile three roundels in a row at New Cross Gate say "This is Lewisham," in some sort of shameless local authority back slapping campaign.
A similar disregard for wayfinding information that London Transport were once world class at.

 

[Thirteen]

I saw loads of people taking photos of the signs at the front of the station yesterday off of Oxford Street.

Seems like a win for TfL and Burberry but I suspect they'll learn a few lessons when doing similar campaigns not to overdo it.

Do think considering the partnership with Google Pay, it's a missed opportunity not to rebrand Goodge Street as Google Pay/Pixel Street to promote that or the upcoming Pixel 8.

 

[Sunil_P]

Meanwhile three roundels in a row at New Cross Gate say "This is Lewisham," in some sort of shameless local authority back slapping campaign.
A similar disregard for wayfinding information that London Transport were once world class at.

"This is Croydon" at Norwood Junction!

 

[Warrior2852]

Has anyone asked their social media team for a comment on Twitter or similar? Surely if phrased as a polite question then would struggle to justify not answering.

Lots of people have tagged them with varying levels of politeness but I haven't seen any replies, they've only been replying to or reposting people being positive about the change.

 

[Busaholic]

Looking at this fiasco from another point of view, the advertiser's, to see if they may have been implicit in breaching the Advertising Standards Authority code of conduct in relation to non-broadcast adverising/promotional material, it strikes me that Burberry may well have done so, on two grounds, one being potentially if not actually misleading by changing the name of the station in the advertising to Burberry Street. Any member of the public can complain about an advertising campaign on various grounds, so long as the complaint is within three months.

 

[Turtle]

"This is Croydon" at Norwood Junction!

Yes. I was just thinking of the Norwood Junction fiasco. Railway station name boards etc should be treated by law as if they were highway traffic signs and not be disfigured by advertising.

 

[Thirteen]

I think some people are coming across as miserable sods.

 

[Adam Williams]

I think some people are coming across as miserable sods.

Whilst there's going to be a subset of passengers who find the takeover fun and feel that it's a brand they can relate to/enjoy spending time working which station it is, I think there needs to be more of a focus on the public that have to use public transport. This does include tourists and people that really don't care one jot about luxury fashion, and just want to be able to navigate London.

I've not seen as many complaints about the Hackney Diamonds rebrand (though again, ideally the line diagrams wouldn't have been messed with / some of them would've remained), so I don't think it's a case of people hating all forms of "takeover". At least the Stones' album has the word "Hackney" in its title!

 

[Deepgreen]

I think some people are coming across as miserable sods.

You may well think that, but when you are next in a strange city and trying to find your way around you may wish for a clear, logical way-finding system that hasn't been defaced where you want to go. A huge amount of effort has been expended by TfL and its predecessors over many decades to produce a solid, consistent and reliable corporate identity and map system.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Sep 2023 ==

Seems like a win for TfL and Burberry but I suspect they'll learn a few lessons when doing similar campaigns not to overdo it.

Do think considering the partnership with Google Pay, it's a missed opportunity not to rebrand Goodge Street as Google Pay/Pixel Street to promote that or the upcoming Pixel 8.

Possibly a win for Burberry but certainly not for TfL.

 

[Thirteen]

The use of the word defaced is eye rolling, it's been temporarily rebranded, not permanent,.

 

[Busaholic]

At least the Stones' album has the word "Hackney" in its title!

View attachment 143082

A place none of the Rolling Stones, past or present, have any connection with and have probably never even been to! Given the connotation of the phrase Hackney Diamonds, you wouldn't think a train operator would wish their stations to be associated with it.

 

[Snow1964]

The use of the word defaced is eye rolling, it's been temporarily rebranded, not permanent,.

Maybe you need to imagine you were in unfamiliar location and the signs don't match anything on map (or phone directions) you have, and possibly you don't speak the local language so couldn't ask anyone. So then have no idea where you are or how to get back to your hotel

Then would you think it is fun idea, or extremely irresponsible.

 

[uglymonkey]

Never mind the tourists, I feel sorry for the disabled. Using public transport at the best of times is extremely stressful, added to that anxiety about whether you are at the right station , it's just not fair. Still TfL don't care, everyone is talking about it, so job done. I doubt the art department luvvies every go by tube so they don't care and are probabily patting themselves on the back. I hope someone sue's them.

 

[thomalex]

Whilst there's going to be a subset of passengers who find the takeover fun and feel that it's a brand they can relate to/enjoy spending time working which station it is, I think there needs to be more of a focus on the public that have to use public transport. This does include tourists and people that really don't care one jot about luxury fashion, and just want to be able to navigate London.

I've not seen as many complaints about the Hackney Diamonds rebrand (though again, ideally the line diagrams wouldn't have been messed with / some of them would've remained), so I don't think it's a case of people hating all forms of "takeover". At least the Stones' album has the word "Hackney" in its title!

View attachment 143082

What is this station. Hackney Central, Hackney Downs?

I mean when I look at a line diagram I should be able to tell shouldn't I?

I hope they also rebranded the tube map, tannoy, in train screens etc just to really make sure everyone knows this is Hackney Diamonds

 

[Peter Sarf]

"This is Croydon" at Norwood Junction!

I looked into this corruption of signage at Norwood Junction and realise it explains an experience I had last week.

Old rather frail lady turned up at the bus stop outside Anerley station were I was just working out my next move. She wanted to use a bus to get to Norwood junction. She had just come from the station. I had suggested she use the train but she was rather bothered by that suggestion and had just come out of the station and did not want to go back. She seemed a bit confused but I eventually determined she was not senile. I had tried to work out where she was really travelling to and I vaguely got the feeling it was nearer Dalston Junction but that might have been her home.

I now realise she had intended to travel from near Dalston Junction to Norwood Junction. I now realise she had thought she had gone too far South because of the "This is Croydon" signs and had doubled back just to encounter Anerley. That explains why she was one stop short of her planned destination - she thought she had overshot it. She probably knew she was then too far North. The lady was rather exhausted by all this and I went with her by bus to Norwood Junction to make sure she got off at the correct place.

Perhaps someone at TfL would like to justify my time wasted and the ordeal the lady went through.

The use of the word defaced is eye rolling, it's been temporarily rebranded, not permanent,.

I will call it temporarily defaced for longer than the normal passenger spends at the station. Is that better ?.

Its information leave the damn things alone.

---

For the first time in my life I can see a reason to buy a can of spray paint and use it on something other than my car.

 

[Busaholic]

Stations aren't branded, or they shoudn't be, they are named. I can remember when the decision was taken to rename Charing Cross underground station Embankment, because too much confusion was occurring with Northern Line passengers mistakenly disembarking there for the main line station rather than at the next station, Strand. This took some time and a lot of effort to achieve, with no stone left unturned to make the change as perfect and stress-free for the public as possible, as did the later change to rename Strand and the Bakerloo Line's Trafalgar Square when the opportunity arose with the new Jubilee Line terminus at Charing Cross linking all three lines. To think, this was all done without having a Mayor to represent the public view, how did we manage?