The British railway was not bad. Sixty years after starting the brand, we should remember its marketing successes

In 2025, Great Britain means 200th anniversary newfangled railways. Many will quickly celebrate the heritage of steam engines and the aged Red Lion Railway logoBut there is one British railway, which may not have enough praise – British rail. In brief, this year is 60 years aged this year.

BR officially started trading 1965 And it ended privatization In turn in 1997. But despite the brand to the end of the line, many of its iconic elements remain on the railway today. These include the “Double Arrow” logo, the font called the railway alphabet and the entire palette of colors and styles.

State British British railways, which is replaced by Network Rail as an operator of the majority of British railway infrastructure, and also takes over the privatized franchise system, will present Logo in May. This may contain a double arrow. The news concerns the hope of “restoring pride” in the British railway network.

On the other hand, this organization often has a controversial heritage. Those who remember this quickly complain about delayed trains, high tariffs and a feeble standard of service-in this sutured sandwich with the British railway. This heritage is often politicized. It can also be argued that it was the most newfangled business that served people in time tragic economic criseswith recessions in the 70s and 80s, as well as a decrease in production that led to universal unemployment.

Railways were nationalized at 1947 Transport Act and managed by “British Railways”. In the 1950s, the railway had Poor reputation. As one of the survey respondents described, the railway was “a huge, monolithic institution, it did not concern the well -being of the individual.”

Trains were often delayed and filthy, which is the result of a lack of investment in combination with the dying days of the steam era. In combination with this, British Railways ranged before external intervention, whether from managers, state officials and even passengers. Efforts to improve the railway began with 1955 Modernization Planwhich issued a number of strategic recommendations. But until 1960 it did not bring any financial benefits.

They were different for all nationalized industries in Great Britain of the 1960s. With the issue of the government White paper In 1961, all state industries, including gas, electricity and respiratory tract, were set financial goals.

One of the results for railways was Dr. Richard Beeching Transforming the British Railway plan Published in 1963, this included a number of changes, including a reduction in the number of unprofitable routes.

My last research He examined the marketing of this year in the 1960s and 1970s and stated that this period was one of the great changes in the history of rail marketing.

This included the introduction of the British Rail brand with the publication Corporate identity handbook In July 1965, this was represented by the management slowly opens to the recruitment of marketing and PR experts from the private sector, including consumer giants such as L’Oréal.

In comparison with other operators in Europe, BR received one of The lowest government subsidies. Through the operational life of BR, he fought strenuous for innovation on the market with support and resources.

He used up-to-date methods to locate and identify consumers, targeted advertising and services, and joined forces with a private sector giants, such as Kellogg’s and Parsley With offers of lower tickets. He also created up-to-date price structures, including those who leave, weekend phrases and rail cards.

Fierce competitor

As a nationalized railway, it can be easily assumed that BR had a monopoly and therefore did not have to compete. But that couldn’t be further than reality. . The car business has developedwith cheaper, more reliable models. And thanks to the policy of government infrastructure, more roads, parking lots and fuel stations were built.

Other domestic transport, such as coaches (the National Bus Company It was created in 1968) He pressed a constant pressure. A British Airways launched national “Transfer” services Between London and other British cities in 1975, promising passengers who could “appear and go” without the need for booking.

It also meant a point where marketing experts changed concentration from places to people, identifying not only who wanted to travel, but why. This included focusing on specific market segments by sex.

In the seventies, Intercity BR began a television campaign with the slogan “Travel-cycle, such as men”, which focused on middle-aged women who want to travel to escape from home responsibilities.

Similarly, messages for people traveling in business clenched. Before the 1960s, business trips concerned luxury. Now it was about economic efficiency, in which businessmen could work, eat and sleep on the train before their meetings (none of them can be done if you were going to a meeting).

In the 1980s, before his terrifying crimes appeared, BR brought the television star Jimmy Savile as the face of railway trips. Although it is strenuous to believe today, considering what the public knows about Savile, it was at that time a coup d’état because of his media and business profile.

But today railways are at a turning point. . Government plans The nationalization of railway franchise caused emotions from organizations such as a passenger group Bring British Rail.

Let’s explain: nationalization is not alone Silver ballAlthough the BR case shows that it should be possible to have a significant industry that can serve the public interest and compete in a wider economy. Most importantly, BR was an novel marketer. The next below should be the same.