Did Barclays Bank On Boris ?

 

Recently a friend sent me this link to support his charity bike ride - don't worry this isn't a crafty piece of e-chugging (if you want to you can read more at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=lindsaywilliams).

Beyond the ludicrous scale of his endeavours, what really caught my eye was the title.

'200 mile Boris Bike Challenge'

I like Boris Bikes. Aside from the fact that they encourage anyone with a debit card, a modicum of dutch-courage and delusions of immortality to weave around the capital, they add a bit of colour to the city. Barclays blue, to be precise.

Which brings me back to the 'Boris' in the title of the original email.

To be blunt, they're not Boris' bikes. They're Barclays'. I know because it says so on each and every one.

Now I'm not taking sides here. Both are brands in their own right, with clear positionings, one being banking, the other being barking. And of course it might well be that Barclays are perfectly happy with the status quo. My perception is that in these straitened times, if it weren't for their involvement we mightn't have the current scheme, so I am vaguely greatful. However you can't help but imagine that initial conversations between the development departments of TFL and Barclays focused largely on exposure to an appreciative London population and gave significantly less consideration to the image the Mayor pedalling his way on to the next PR gaffe.

Did the words 'Boris' and 'bike' crop-up in the same sentence during negotiations ? Or was the need for a plan 'B' even mooted in the cab (or tube) on the way back from the TFL offices ? Was Kelly Brook (remember her at the launch ?) meant to 'de-Boris' affairs  ? We'll probably never know.

If nothing else, it goes to show that commercial organisations need to give serious consideration to their brand values and those of potential sponsorship properties before forking over significant sums of cash. There are plenty of great examples of where a sponsor and a beneficiary have combined to create a much loved entity - look no further than the collaboration between The Southbank Centre and The Observer, which brought us the ever-popular Meltdown.

The birth of the 'Boris Bike' demonstrates the importance of three things. Firstly, the need to understand the associations that exist in the minds' of your target audience. Secondly, how critical it is to rigorously identify all the component elements of the partner brand. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, the acceptance that creating great sponsorships isn't a perfect science but one that more often than not, with reasonable planning can produce happy (if not entirely anticipated) accidents.

Something I suspect our mayor is acutely aware of.