What do Hush Puppies, shopping carts, and public transit have in common? At one time or another, all three have endured periods of unpopularity. Beyond the reach of society's "cool" radar, they were considered unhip and anti-sexy. But when all seemed lost, Hush Puppies and shopping carts both found ways to bounce back into public favour, and the public transit authority in Greater Vancouver is currently searching for it's groove. According to a panel I heard talking on the NW98 Bill Good Show, the regions' powers-that-be desperately want people to use transit more. To get the ridership up, these powers are ready to kick down branding barriers and sexify transit. How they will do this I don't now. What I do know is that they have public funding, access to the best PR experts, and a gigantic infrastructure committment. So my question is this: is it possible that a Greater Vancouver transit pass card could become our next big sexy must-have?
Retrieved May 7, 2007: Image courtesy of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tipping_Point_(book)
Trippin' about tippin'
In Malcom Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" (Little Brown, 2000), Gladwell talks about how the Hush Puppies brand went from obscure to outlandish in an amazingly short amount of time. Hush Puppies, the classic American brushed suede shoe, was a dog that had seen it's day. Long past its heyday in the 1970's, Hush Puppies teetered on the abyss in the 1990's. But something magical happened when two guys walked into a Soho store and bought Hush Puppies. Their reason for buying the shoes was exactly because none else would wear them. This unpretentious, almost hostile purchase of Hush Puppies in Soho started a domino effect. Suddenly the shoes repersented rebellion. As the movement quickened, haute coutre got on board and that's when the demand for all things Hush Puppy exploded. As Gladwell puts it, "The shoes passed a a certain point in popularity and they tipped." The fashion industry's clumsy jump onto the band wagon is comical. I would laugh it I didn't see a reflection of myself in this pool. (Lululemon, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Honda, Coach...Need I say more...I could go on...)Shop talk
While Hush Puppies demonstrate accidental sexification, shopping carts demonstrate targeted sexification. Yes, the humble shopping cart needed a sexy push to get the concept rolling into public favour. Shopping carts were invented in 1936 by Sylvan Goldman, the owner of an American grocery called the Piggly Wiggly. According to www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/shopcart.htm, customers avioded the carts at first. Shoppers were content to use a shopping basket on thier arm and not two baskets strapped to a strange wheelie-thingamajig thank-you-very-much. But Goldman had seen the dollar signs; He figured the Piggly Wiggly could make more money if customers would purchase more items per visit. Shopping carts were the answer, but how could he make them attractive? His action was ingeniuos: He hired some male and female models to push the carts around his store while pretending to shop. Customers saw the models using the carts, and gradually the real customers started to also use these new-fangled contraptions. And we all know the outcome. (Cosco, Home Depot, Save On, Ikea...Need I say more...I could go on...)
Nice pass
So how does all this relate to public transit? Well, as I was listening to the Bill Good Show, a news talk radio show on NW98, the panel mentioned the need to sexify the public transit system. In my view, Public transit does not need a facelift -- how glam can a bus ride really be -- it needs a brand lift. As I said before, how they will do it remains to be seen. One one hand, like Hush Puppies, transit might beome a rebellious icon of a teen or twentysomething (ONTRNZT CAAC CUL8R) or a personal restraint symbol of a thirtysomething (I organized my life to accommidate transit and I'm taking my knocks for the environment.) On the other hand, like the shopping cart, it might take only a few human decoys that remind us of who we want to be. If who we want to be rides the bus, then we probably will, too. Don't believe me? (Lululemon, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Honda, Coach, Cosco, Home Depot, Save On, Ikea...Need I say more...I could go on...)
What I learned: The more I learn about the past, the more I can predict the future.
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