A few months ago we argued that the BBC needed to bolster its corporate marketing. Now it finally has with a remarkable new promotion.
This Is Our BBC debuted online last week and is now running on air too. It is powerful and ingenious.
A series of short clips – even individual words – cut together to remind us what the BBC is, why it is special and why its existence cannot be taken for granted.
Some of the clips tap into nostalgia – naturally Pres fans of a certain age will be happy to see the BBC One clock from around 1975 and hear Roger Maude.
But there is so much more to this. Some of the clips demonstrate the heritage, some demonstrate today’s core BBC output and some even show the kind of things certain “heartland” BBC supporters may not like.
The archive news clips at the beginning serve two good purposes. First they remind us that some have always questioned the need for the BBC. Secondly the abrupt cut – “BORING!!!” – demonstrates the obvious.
Politicians may easily forget that what really matters to the public is whether they enjoy the programmes. You can make as many principled arguments as you like for the BBC’s existence. None of them matter unless people value the programmes and feel they are in some way different to those offered by competitors.
We can all be guilty of taking the BBC for granted.
By only criticising the things we don’t like – or highlighting things which you can reasonably argue could and should be improved – there is a risk of taking the things we do like or which benefit society as a whole for granted.
Sometimes though that criticism or concern – say a moan about part of modern Pres or marketing or a belief someone or something is letting the team down – is actually a sign of love.
In real life, you can say difficult or critical things to your family and close friends which you would never say to a mere acquaintance.
In the same way, some of us may get hot under the collar about relatively minor things concerning the Beeb but would let their equivalents elsewhere go unnoticed.
This promotion totally hits the mark.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: This Is Our BBC promotion. COPYRIGHT: BBC.