I learned yesterday that all the London Underground stations and lines with a double O in their name (and some popular ones that don’t even have a double O in their name) are now sponsored by Heineken 0.0.
It tastes terrible, by the way.
But that’s not really the issue here. Is this a bit of corporate marketing fun, or is this actually a bit rubbish?
Answer: It’s both.
What?
Oxf0.0rd Circus doesn’t even work. If you already have to start making crap up after you’re done with Bakerloo and Waterloo, then this is a campaign that probably shouldn’t have got further than the drawing board.
And to those who say that it’s not confusing and just a bit of harmless fun, that map advert above on the left has got Kilburn Park and Maida Vale in the wrong order.
Well done!
Is this a lack of effort? A lack of attention? A lack of just… caring?
Whatever. Maps are meant to be maps: to help you get from A to B (or to 0.0) as easily and clearly as possible. They aren’t meant to be adverts.
And yes, there are bigger things to be concerned about going on in the world at the moment, but I (and hopefully you) have the brain capacity to be concerned about more than one problem.
No. Less of this kind of thing, please.