I've always thought that I'm quite lucky to be working in marketing for an automotive company. It has to be more exciting than working in marketing for an aggregates company doesn't it?
Well the answer is probably yes but I've found a lovely bit of aggregate marketing that is very clever.
Whilst driving along a road I saw a ginormous pothole and thought "Somebody needs to know about that." I stopped, took a picture and then thought "So who do I tell?"
I could phone Brentwood Council who would tell me it was a Highways concern which is managed by the County Council and they'd give me a phone number which wouldn't be answered and I'd get annoyed and I might try again but to no avail. The lack of commas in that sentence was deliberate. It should have left you gasping for breath. expiring as well as exasperated.
I could use Twitter but the Council ignore tweets with gay abandon.
I could use Facebook but that can be ignored quite easily too. Either that or a placatory response can be posted but no action taken.
What I needed was an app. As is usual in these scenarios, I find my genius idea has already been invented by someone quicker and smarter than me, and this time it was someone who worked in aggregate marketing.
If you check out www.fillthathole.org.uk you'll find the link to this app. This app allows you to report a pothole with a really simple interface and whilst the website is branded with CTC - The UK's National Cyclists Organisation, the funding behind the app is Aggregate industries at www.aggregate.com.
The link was obvious to me. Aggregate is what is used to fill potholes. It's the perfect way to generate demand for your product. It also happens to be timed to coincide with a doubling of the funding pot for pothole repairs as announced by the Government here.
Very clever lateral thinking.
If you're searching for my pothole you need to look for Hazard number #66845
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