As I get sucked deeper into the quicksand that is the teaching profession, I sometimes take a desperate look at jobs websites. I know that Ken is not popular with everyone, and has an arrogance bordering on insanity, plus he got rid of the Routemaster, which is a hanging offence in my book. But I am quite fond of him (for the brilliant speech he gave about 7th July, and I like the way he has opened the city up to cool things like the Thames Festival and the Sultan's Elephant which serve no particular purpose except that they're celebratory and fun), and I love my city, so I glanced at the jobs on the London Assembly website, and came across this one.
I would like to work on promoting London to India, China, Russia, and Brazil - who wouldn't? (Job Spec: Duties include walking down Copacabana Beach in a bearskin hat and a Union Jack bikini, perhaps?) But something about the phrase 'Brand London' chills the blood. And you can't help thinking it exists purely for the Mayor to be able to say to himself 'Where do I fancy visiting this year?'
About teaching and crying
1 day ago
13 comments:
Any brands tend to chill my blood, but I see your point.
Am I the only person alive who prefers bendy buses?
Yes.
I've just worked with someone who is meant to have coined the phrase Cool Brittania. We were working on selling modern british culture to China. It's all about the brand apparently. It's all the rage in the art world but there is a potentially sinister govt undertone to it methinks.
That ad. is mind-boggling piece of writing and not in a good way. I mean what the hell does
"creating a halo for the marketing activities of London’s sector-based promotional agencies."
actually mean?
although I love the way it moves seamlessly from near-megalomania:
"aim of motivating behavioural and attitudinal change in both Londoners and the world to create a more sustainable planet"
to what, one suspects, is a more accurate description of the job:
"Team support duties to include tea and coffee making, meeting and greeting guests and errands for the team."
I have similar misgivings about some of the activities of Visit Scotland.
Yes - team support duties ie: posh for lackey!
Brand London: no longer grim, grey and grimy! Sorry.
Brand London - is that just an alternative pronunciation for Bland London in some quarters? Ok - I'm going away now..
RoMo - something about marketing puts my back up. At least advertising can be fun & creative,no matter if its dodgy and unethical... marketing is all that is wrong with the modern world. Brand London, indeed.
Marsha, I hadn't actually got that far with the advert - hilarious!
Llewtrah - now that would just open them up to being sued by the Trade Descriptions Act.
RoMo - but it does make it bland! It's so, so much more than a brand...
Yes - I agree with you there. I hate that 'forcing you to buy into something' readymade nonsense. London can mean different things on different days at different times.
I'm afraid I like bendy buses too, having spent enough of my life trying to cram myself onto the 159, or being left on the pavement for hours because three full-to-the-brim no. 159s went past me, or witnessing fights break out on the platforms of 159s. Bendy buses work, unfortunately. Routemasters are like a penny farthing.
No no no! Bendy buses make you travel sick - they are ugly - they take a hundred years to get through the city - they run over cyclists - they don't help pay for the transport system as people fare dodge - and worst of all,they don't really help the people for whom they were supposedly brought in, ie people with pushchairs and wheelchairs as the aisles are too narrow for people to enter by one door and push through to where there is space. They are always packed to capacity and riding them is a stressful experience.
Whereas on the Routemaster, a conductor would see that it was full and not let any more people on - plus would help old people, mums with pushchairs, etc. They were a good bus for the city as you could jump on and off in traffic, and pay on the go instead of having to wait for people to queue on and off. They made makes sense for people using public transport in a busy city. Plus, they were aesthetically pleasing and there was nothing better on offer in the whole city than sitting on the top deck and watching London through the condensation on those old-fashioned metal windows.
Really, I don't see why we couldn't have had both Routemasters and bendy buses.
Bendy buses kill and maim people! Routemasters are the best.
Well, maybe. But you can't get wheelchairs on a routemaster and it's really messy when someone tries to jump on or off the back of one and misses...
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