Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

…Greyhound Should Start An Airline

1. Greyhound operates a pretty efficient transportation system, highlighted by general admission seating to all of their buses. While Southwest and a number of European discount carriers already do this, Greyhound has a lot of experience in loading vehicles quickly, efficiently and hitting the road on schedule. More so, they operate a system in which a lot of airlines should be interested and could follow if they were smart - Priority Seating! For an extra $5 per trip,  “With our new Priority Seating service, you can reserve your own seat and pre-board without waiting in line first. Relax in the terminal while knowing in advance where you will sit on the bus, and board ahead of other non-priority passengers.” Truly innovative!

2. Nobody has ever had any expectations about receiving snacks and drinks on a bus. BYO F&B, baby! It’s always a picnic on Greyhound! With all airlines looking to cut costs, one of first things to go were free snack, drinks and meals. At least with Greyhound, passengers will already know what, or what not to expect.

3. Part of the pleasure of bus travel is that all you can really do is read or watch the countryside pass by. No drop-down screens from the ceiling, no seat-back entertainment systems. You just have to amuse yourself. With US Airways announcement that they are removing in-flight entertainment systems on domestic flights starting in November, Greyhound wouldn’t have to go above and beyond what they already offer. As for US Airways, Forbes.com notes, “The systems eat into aircraft fuel supply since they weigh a whopping 500 pounds each, saving the airline some $10.0 million, annually.”

4. In a move that could transform airlines travel management, Greyhound could teach an old dog a new trick. Much like in a bus terminal, every passenger could have the pleasure of loading their own baggage on to the plane. In fact, this would create a self-regulating environment - travel only what you can carry and load! Think of the fuel savings!

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…Advertising Is Pandemic

1. Logos and brands are everywhere and on everything. Whether clothing, water bottles, buildings or online, it’s hard to walk down the street and not be inundated with advertising. Advertising’s ubiquity is even extending into video games, where gamers will be peppered with billboards and product promotion as they whiz around racetracks and blow up bunkers. While the level of daily exposure has been subject to debate, it’s safe to say that not a day goes by where someone is not trying to influence your purchasing habits.

2. Product placement is becoming a common, if not pervasive, feature in media. Cinema, having lead the charge, was traditionally the only vehicle to carry broad (and blatant) product promotions. However, this practice has expanded into all media, whether through television, online vehicles or print. When done poorly, you feel like you’ve just watched a long commercial. When done well, like the Reese’s Pieces in E.T., products fit seamlessly into the shot and context of a scene. PQMedia estimates that the value of product placement in the U.S. is around $7 billion, rising to $10 billion by 2010.

3. Naming rights have become big business. Sports stadiums and arenas have been the target for corporate branding for some time, but the practice is now common among cultural entities (e.g. museums, literary awards and performing arts venues). Furthermore, in an era where municipalities are facing budget constraints, naming rights are being considered for public transportation.

4. Even subculture movements, which generally eschew mainstream promotion, have been infiltrated with advertising. Look no further than Marc Ecko’s brilliant tagging of Air Force 1 and the public relations bonanza that followed.

5. Advertising has gone so far as to convince us that we need personal branding. We used to consider our reputation as something to maintain and manage. But it’s no longer about just reputation. It’s about “You” as a the brand - what you wear, how you speak, what people think of you, how you present yourself in social networking outlets, etcetera. Mmm…I think I’ll print up a few t-shirts.

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…You Should Take A Sabbatical

1.Taking a sabbatical doesn’t mean taking time off. But what it does allow you to do is take time away from your routine. It allows you to escape, rejuvenate and recharge. If you take a working sabbatical in the same field, you can get inspired just by being in a new environment. If you take time to do something completely different, you can explore new directions and the possibility of changing tracks. Regardless of your intentions, it can only help you think about and appreciate your values, self and purpose. Or if you are not that introspective, it can be the start of an adventure.

2. You never really get to know a place well until you live there for an extended period of time. Two or three weeks a year of meandering as a tourist only scratches the surface of a place that is naturally foreign to you. New cultures and geographies can take months before a real understanding can develop and once this has happened, you gain a new appreciation and insight.

3. You are forced to meet and interact with new people, even if you are not a particularly social person. While meeting new people can itself be an adventure and exciting, it also opens you up to new ideas and ideals. Whether you agree with any of them is almost irrelevant. What is important is that it may provide inspiration, reinforce existing ideas or get a new perspective on old ones.

4. You will be doing your employer a favour. Sabbaticals can improve employee morale, reduce burn-out, lower turnover and lead to better human resource expense management.

Looking for some inspiration? Check out Sabbaticalhomes.com.

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…Flying Isn’t As Fun As It Used To Be

1. The proliferation of flying machines that can take you basically anywhere in the world has all but eliminated the mysteries of travel. Yes, adventure stills exists in any place where you find yourself. But the exploration has been accomplished. There are not too many places in the world where a tourist, intrepid or otherwise, has not been before you. This, by no means, should stop anyone from traveling. In fact, it should be encouraged! But the days of putting down “Explorer” as your occupation have long since past.

2. When travel was considered special, people used to dress up and behave as if they were doing something truly civilized. Boarding a plane demanded fine threads, an air of sophistication, and an appreciation for the innovation in getting a giant tin can off the ground. Now that air travel has essentially become a commodity, we travel in sweat pants, fight for the arm rest at the drop of a hat and compete for the attention of overworked flight attendants. The flip side of this is that air travel is relatively cheap and it can take you anywhere you want to go. But the veneer of glamour has faded and we are left with just another way to quickly get from A to B.

3. Without a doubt, airplanes are amazing contraptions. And the people that get them into the air and keep them there do a great job of doing so. However, as the throngs of people filling up the skies continues to grow, travelers are treated more and more like cattle being herded and move across the plains. From the time you enter an airport, you are asked to line up - first for your ticket, then for security, then you are rounded up near your departure gate and coraled down the gangway onto the plane. When you finally get on the plane, unless you happen to be the Kobe Beef of passengers who travel at the front of the plane, you are crammed in and get very little to help pass the time.

4. Before terror in the sky became a common preoccupation for global travelers and governments, pilots were like doctors. You would see them in action behind the dials and blinking lights, and you can’t help but look up to them like they were heroes, especially if you were a kid that was given a personal tour of the cockpit. Unfortunately, cockpits are now built like Fort Knox. Access is restricted to only those with the highest clearance. Kids these days will never know that feeling of amazement when standing in the heart of a great flying machine like the 747.

5. Remember the plastic pilot wing pins they used to give you when you were a kid? I miss those pilot wings.

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….The SUV is Dying

1. With the price of gasoline in the U.S climbing to about $4/gallon, consumers have finally realized that the concept of owning a gas-guzzling truck doesn’t work financially. That’s a lot bigger factor for many people compared with the environmental impact of SUVs given their crappy miles-per-gallon performance.
According to the Wall St. Journal, SUV sales are tumbling. Ford sold 137,817 Explorers last year, compared with 445,000 in 2000.

2. Most people think SUVs offer more space and comfort. While you are riding higher (which makes people feel more comfortable), the reality is most SUVs can only fit five passengers, along with some luggage in the back. Ironically, this is about the same capacity as sedans such as the Honda Accord.

3. Japanese and South Korean auto makers are taking market share from U.S. rivals by selling a variety of well-designed, high-quality products. Unlike their U.S. counterparts, Japanese and South Korean auto makers aren’t heavily relying sales of SUVs to boost profits.

4. The vast majority of people don’t need an SUV. They never drive off-road other than maneuvering their way through large mall parking lots.

More: The Wall St. Journal had a story last week looking at the demise of the SUV that included this quote:

“You can put a fork in” SUV sales, said Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting for IRN Inc., a Grand Rapids., Mich., consulting firm.

The Toronto Star - clearly a reader of 4RW - has a cover story (June with the headline: “The Rise and Fall of the SUV”.

Technorati Tags: SUV

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