One of the things about taking a train into central London rather than bus/tube, is that I’ve noticed certain cultural incidents which pass poor tube-travellers by. Namely: there appears to be some sort of pissing contest going on (not literally) (though it’s possible, of course) between rival estate agents in South West London.
How do we know this? Well, on the SWTrains route into Waterloo, there’s a succession of stations sponsored by estate agents all adopting slogans bragging about how innovative they are, each trying to out-do the last.
Leaving aside for the moment the issue of whether “innovation” in the context of estate agents is another term for “underhandness” “deviousness” or jus plain “lying”, I wonder what petty feud might have erupted to cause this outbreak of marketing.
The series reads thus:
Putney
Home of ____: London’s most innovative estate agents
Wandsworth Town
Home of ____ estate agents: more innovative than the rest!
Clapham Junction
Home of ____: Call that innovation? You oughta be ashamed
Queenstown Rd
Home of ____ estate agents: We SHIT innovation
Vauxhall
Home of ____: Innovating all over YO MOMMA
On reflection, it’s a jolly good thing that Waterloo is the end of the line, otherwise I fear things might have erupted into violence (or the dead-eyed, nylon-suited, hairgelled equivalent).
Similarly, I want to know what’s going on between the various Australian tourist boards - the advert on TV last night for Western Australia was just slagging off the east, full of “it’s four hours closer than Sydney”, “do you remember when the only high-rises on the beach were temporary?” and “the /real/ Australia”.
At first glance I was confused. Why would you innovate all over famous cellist, Yo Yo Ma?
My mistake.
BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS BEDS!!!!!
:)