Choose the messenger wisely.
Facts and analysis are not enough. The public has to feel you are correct. The truth has to be sold as well as told. You have to capture the high ground with a brand that is more emotionally compelling than that of your opponents.
So says advertising entrepreneur, John Kearon.
Yes, overestimate the role of emotion and storytelling.
Yes, connect emotionally with a wide audience.
Yes, the roads are for everyone. And do ride your way. But take care to choose the messenger wisely.
And, do overestimate the task at hand. Behaviour is hard to shift.
In the mind of the public….
#vehicularism = unappealing
#wheeledpedestrianism = appealing
Hello? Don’t hang up.
‘Cycling’ is sport and recreation. ‘Riding a bicycle’ is everyday activity. No sweat. As easy as walking, but faster.
Wheeled Pedestrian Cycling 
Good point. When I was able to ride my bike to work, I always tried to look as though I was having a far better time than anyone stuck in a car, because I was! Well, except when I was struggling up hills.
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Exactly. And that model needs to be adopted by the people and organisations who have taken responsibility for promoting ‘riding a bike’ and upscale it. We need a new narrative. A narrative that gradually nudges us from the current version to a new and compelling one. This new one won’t be familiar. That needs to change. The steps required to making cycling normal have not been explained. “Build more cycle lanes’ will only get us so far. 🙂
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