The Ingenious Simple Marketing Trick That Changed the Rail Industry Forever

In a fascinating case study with a railway company in Britain, Rory Sutherland showcased his ingenuity in addressing customer dissatisfaction with train delays. Rather than focusing solely on rectifying technical issues to improve punctuality, Sutherland proposed a bold and unconventional solution: serve champagne to passengers awaiting their trains.

Sutherland’s rationale was grounded in the understanding that perception shapes reality, and the key to fostering satisfaction lies in enhancing the customer experience. By offering champagne as a gesture of goodwill, the railway company aimed to elevate the waiting experience, transforming frustration into delight. Drawing parallels to the luxurious amenities enjoyed by business-class travelers, Sutherland recognized the psychological impact of indulgence and pampering on consumer behavior.

The outcome exceeded expectations, as passengers embraced the unexpected perk of champagne service, turning delays into moments of indulgence and relaxation. This innovative approach not only defused complaints but also cultivated a positive association with the railway company, fostering loyalty and goodwill among passengers.

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[Yuletide_]

What a great illustration of why marketing people should be kept out of public policy decisions.

[chabonazo]

Thank God the engineers took the decision.

[creech]

There's a famous story about an early skyscraper where people were always complaining about the long wait for the elevators. They looked into faster elevators, and all sorts of solutions. The best fix ended up being putting up mirrors in the elevator lobby. That way people could stay busy checking their hair and seeing what was going on around them. No one thought it was a long wait anymore.

[davidwujczyk]

Saving 40 minutes for each traveler is a game changer

[williammcfarlane]

This is a perfect example on how marketing is really great at reframing a problem to increase profit will never actually looking at resolving the problem... They're sell you the end of the world and count their money as they go into the end of the world!🤦‍♂️🤣

[mattc]

The fastest journey time on the Eurostar from London to Paris is 2 hrs 16 mins, and can be up to 2 hrs 37 mins. Prior to HS1 the journey times were about 3 hours 15 mins.

However, its not just about journey times. Once you construct dedicated tracks, you take immense pressure off existing domestic rail lines, allowing for better local train services.

[amolsen]

No idea who this guy is but I feel like he worked for PanAm

[ArsenicApplejuice]

So what he’s done is spend 3 billion and have nothing to show for it.

[janzwendelaar]

That's how you make the trip sexy and appealing to the leisure travellers.

Those that need the train to go fast however, love how a roundtrip is mow 80 minites faster.

[MarcoBonechi]

One is an investment that will increase productivity and change lives, the other is a waste of money.

[drsnova]

The Eurostar transported 18.6 million passengers in 2023. That's 18.6 million x 40 minutes = 744M minutes = 516K days = 1415 years = 19 whole human lifetimes saved per year. So in 30 years of operation, those 6 billion "saved" some 400-500 lives.

Meanwhile, it would cost half a billion each year to serve every passenger a glass of something as common, cheap and low-class as Dom Perignon, not even including supermodel salaries. And we would have run out of champagne money by 2006.

Clearly, those engineers made the right choice.

[davidribeiro]

That kind of dude is the reason you get subpar products in nice boxes.

[andreasarnoalthofsobottka]

Have you figured the price for the new supermodels to replace the old ones every 2-3 years? The thing about rail tracks is their durability of 100 years.

[TheTrainMaster]

Good thing this guy isn’t in charge of the Euro tunnel

[diulikadikaday]

There are a lot of people in this comments section who have no idea what a joke is.

Nor how to look entertain looking at a problem in a different way. The man's point is to make the experience more enjoyable, not just shorter.

[Kaiimei]

I think people missed the fact that it wasn't a question of making the journey more efficient. The question was: how can we make the trip *better*?

A 40 minute shorter ride, which would cost 6 billion to do, does make the journey better by making it shorter, but a 2 hour 50 minute train journey is still a long time.

However, what is true is that their solution is a long-term one. That saved 40 minutes will stay saved for a long period of time. But you can't afford to hire supermodels to walk down the train handing out champagne for very long, it's too expensive.

[mynameisdrpat]

Marketing is there to create a good appearance without changing much of the core.

[georgobergfell]

I agree, very comfortable seats, good air conditioning, quiet cars and good service would go a long way....

[kbee]

Dude explained the difference between marketting and engineering with one simple hypothetical.

[edwardlee-matthews]

All i ever see from this guy is him thinking he has some revolutionary idea when he just chats shit