I would like to indulge myself in a small rant, about a particular bête noir of mine, namely, that most ubiquitous of marketing tools,

"Rebranding"

It's always been with us, of course, but lately there seems to have been something of a flurry, a near stampede to rename almost everything in sight.

Digital TV channels, have hardly been with us for the batting of an eyelid, and yet some are already on their third or fourth name.  I see that what is currently known as "UKTV History" is shortly to be called "Yesterday".  Have people learned nothing from the "One Railway" fiasco?
"Did you see the Antiques Roadshow on Yesterday on Tuesday?"  etc.

An example of more direct influence to me: I'm an archer, and archery clubs in this country are affiliated to a body called "The Grand National Archery Society", formed in the early 19th Century, and supporting member clubs dating back at least another century before that.  It's shortly to be rebranded as "Archery GB".  Why?  What actual purpose will that serve, beyond providing cars and holidays for a handful of marketing consultants?

And there, I suppose we come to the crux of my prejudice, for I freely admit it to be so:  I detest marketing people.

It offends me that there is a trade that is plied entirely by people who actually believe that passengers (sorry, "customers") care more about what their railway company is called, than how often the trains are on time.  People who feel that "Department of Justice" is somehow going to inspire the public into a greater trust and belief in the rule of law, than it had when it was merely part of the Home Office.  People who believe that "new" is automatically better, and that anything that's been around more than five minutes must automatically no longer be "relevant to today's society".

People who, God help us, are telling us that Norwich Union "has always wanted to be" Aviva.

"When you’ve been in marketing as long as I have, you'll know that before any new product can be developed it has to be properly researched. We’ve got to find out what people want from fire, how they relate to it, what sort of image it has for them."
The crowd were tense. They were expecting something wonderful from Ford.
"Stick it up your nose," he said.
"Which is precisely the sort of thing we need to know," insisted the girl, "Do people want fire that can be fitted nasally?"