A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.
I'd never heard of the guy, so had a quick look on google, saw his credentials and thought it was worth sharing on here, mainly to get some discussion going on the forum again - rather than the usual, with a little bit of 'banter' thrown in.
Taking into account all of the money invested by operators and the anecdotal evidence gathered on the forum, with some members referring to a route by its brand, others by numbers - I wondered how true it was.
You maybe then need to throw the element of 'good' product versus 'bad' product in to the mix too, which when bearing in mind public transport, you realise there is more than just a brand/brand name to bear in mind.
To expand further and link the quote towards social media, how often do you see a person on one of the operators social media pages, complain about an element of the service they're paying for - for then others to jump in and agree or share similar experiences?
I have often heard a quote, referring to the expense incurred when appeasing or obtaining new customers, as opposed to the value in keeping existing ones. 10x more expensive I think it was.
This goes back to the line touched on previously about, customers sharing bad experiences - one person tells their friends (or proportion of the customer base on social media), who then share the experience with others.
The brand then becomes 'bad' and is no longer what the organisation tells the consumer.