Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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WHBM
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Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by WHBM »

Saturation coverage currently of a Highways England "Go Left" radio ad.

To the tune of Pet Shop Boys "Go West", it sounds sufficiently close to their original that I suspect many will think that's what it is. You have to listen quite hard to get any of the words and the difference. And then I suspect it is only through being in the industry and knowing what HE might want to impart that I get it. Just doesn't get the message across. Or any message. Still, it ate up someone's budget I suppose.
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trickstat
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by trickstat »

I have seen the TV version, where the visuals make it much clearer as to what it's about!
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Bryn666 »

It's stunningly "The Apprentice" levels of groupthink committee nonsense that fails to get the message across. What exactly does a man in a bee costume have to do with breaking down on the motorway?

Just do a factual, if boring, PIF. Like we used to.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Barkstar »

trickstat wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 08:10 I have seen the TV version, where the visuals make it much clearer as to what it's about!
It is terrible, a confusing mess. Where's Reginald Molehusband when you need him?
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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The bee etc are on the TV ad, with visuals. But the radio ads (are they only in London ?) have none of that. What a waste of money.

The BBC have gone to the families of those involved in ALR fatal accidents for comments :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-s ... e-56371018
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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Bryn666 wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:14 It's stunningly "The Apprentice" levels of groupthink committee nonsense that fails to get the message across. What exactly does a man in a bee costume have to do with breaking down on the motorway?

Just do a factual, if boring, PIF. Like we used to.
Thought is was embarrassing, to us in the industry. My mate said to me on the Golf Course on Monday, "What is that Highways England advert about, thought you lot were professionals".

Had to point out that I have not been in the public sector for 6 years and never worked for the HE.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by B1040 »

I've seen a number of ads in the paper. I've not quite understood the insect caricatures.
The campaign seems a bit pointless. Who wouldn't try to pull off to the left if they could?
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Bryn666 »

This is also linked with new VMS messages saying, wait for it...

USE EMERGENCY
AREA IN A
BREAKDOWN

No schlip, Sherlock.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by WHBM »

"Go left, smashing into that Armco that we have just strung all along where there is a flat grass verge that would be useful and safer".
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by avtur »

Barkstar wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 13:48
trickstat wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 08:10 I have seen the TV version, where the visuals make it much clearer as to what it's about!
It is terrible, a confusing mess. Where's Reginald Molehusband when you need him?
Agree it is an absolute mess, the first fail for me is absolute none-descript colours that have been used, there is nothing to catch the eye at all. I'd love to see the rationale behind the development production values, how on earth does the 'bee' link to a breakdown?? It is so shockingly bad :rant:
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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WHBM wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 17:40 "Go left, smashing into that Armco that we have just strung all along where there is a flat grass verge that would be useful and safer".
Never understood that, caging people in. Oh I forgot it’s because HE don’t want to offend anyone by increasing land take so shoehorning the scheme within the existing highway boundaries wherever possible comes over giving people somewhere safer to pull over.

When I was involved in an accident (not my fault) on the M25 a few years back I along with the other driver were fortunate enough to be able to pull over onto the flyover on the flyover at Godstone (in the dark) just meters before entering the J6-5 ALR.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by the cheesecake man »

It's awful. :yuck: Naff. Amateurish. :thumbsdown: Puerile. :ipunch: An inappropriate way to present a serious safety message.
Terrible. :no: A waste of taxpayers' money. :rant: Stating the bleeding obvious. :soapbox:
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

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WHBM wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 17:40 "Go left, smashing into that Armco that we have just strung all along where there is a flat grass verge that would be useful and safer".
Never understood that, caging people in. Oh I forgot it’s because HE don’t want to offend anyone by increasing land take so shoehorning the scheme within the existing highway boundaries wherever possible comes over giving people somewhere safer to pull over.

When I was involved in an accident (not my fault) on the M25 a few years back I along with the other driver were fortunate enough to be able to pull over onto the hardshoulder on the flyover at Godstone (in the dark) just meters before entering the J6-5 ALR.
Last edited by Fluid Dynamics on Thu Apr 01, 2021 13:10, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by frediculous_biggs »

WHBM wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 01:06 To the tune of Pet Shop Boys "Go West", it sounds sufficiently close to their original that I suspect many will think that's what it is.
I thought the Village People had the original?
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Glen »

frediculous_biggs wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 13:07 I thought the Village People had the original?
Yes, but it's based on the Pet Shop Boys version.
the cheesecake man wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:53 Stating the bleeding obvious. :soapbox:
That could be said about every public information advert; yet we need adverts to tell people not to drink and drive, slow down on country roads, use the green cross code etc.
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by ChrisH »

Highways England planning teams: "Hard shoulders are a dangerous relic and we should get rid of them."

Highways England comms teams: "Go left and pull over on the hard shoulder if you need to stop."

:idea:
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by A303Chris »

WHBM wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 17:40 "Go left, smashing into that Armco that we have just strung all along where there is a flat grass verge that would be useful and safer".
Agree, the first ALR, seem to have a one metre hard strip and long lengths of verge, which seemed a suitable compromise.

The M4 ALR (J12 to J8/9) which is due to open this weekend, has no one metre hard strip and miles of safety fencing, just protecting a verge. Seems they have downgraded a cheap fix even further
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by frediculous_biggs »

Glen wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 13:15
frediculous_biggs wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 13:07 I thought the Village People had the original?
Yes, but it's based on the Pet Shop Boys version.
Really? Village People released theirs in 1979, Pet Shop Boys in 1993!


Anyway, is this campaign about people moving into refuge areas, or simply improving lane discipline and "middle lane hoggers"?

As long as we don't start seeing MS3/4s wasted with more distracting info
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Bryn666 »

A303Chris wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 13:48
WHBM wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 17:40 "Go left, smashing into that Armco that we have just strung all along where there is a flat grass verge that would be useful and safer".
Agree, the first ALR, seem to have a one metre hard strip and long lengths of verge, which seemed a suitable compromise.

The M4 ALR (J12 to J8/9) which is due to open this weekend, has no one metre hard strip and miles of safety fencing, just protecting a verge. Seems they have downgraded a cheap fix even further
I think the monster that is the (c)RRRAP is to blame here, there'll be a solitary item in the verge that that stupid spreadsheet claims you need 35 miles of barrier to protect. Or am I being too cynical again?
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Re: Highways England "Go Left" radio campaign

Post by Patrick Harper »

Anyone who's hooked on the anti-smart motorway hysteria will take ads like this as an insult, but for the rest of us it's harmless.
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