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Is there no end to the market mind? Is every aspect of modern life safe from relentless efforts to brand, advertise, and sell?
This question occurred to me late last Sunday on my way home from London's Heathrow Airport on the Tube, and I had a rather serious surprise when I staggered onto the platform at Bond Street station.
My animalistic instincts, honed over years of subway travel, told me I was on the right platform, but my eyes told me otherwise. Instead of the usual bright red platform sign reading 'Bond Street', there was a bright blue sign reading 'Barbury Street'.
All around me I could see confused travelers who seemed to be wondering, just like me, “What the heck is going on?”
I vaguely remembered watching London Fashion Week start.
But did the people at Transport for London, who run the Underground, really allow an entire station to be renamed after the fashion brand Burberry? The underground station used by unlucky visitors from Heathrow Airport Is not it?
The next day it was revealed that they had done so, prompting a flood of anger on social media and confirmation that I wasn't the only one asking why.
It's not just that tourists can become disoriented or miss their stops. What would you do if you were in a wheelchair, missed the bus stop, and got off at one of the London Underground stations with no lifts?
But this is not the most important part of the story.
What's even more puzzling is the fact that by Wednesday, experts say the dust had subsided, making the four-day marketing stunt a success.
People were talking about it, posting about it on Instagram, and generally skyrocketing Burberry's popularity on Google, the New York Times reported.
I wouldn't be surprised if next Fashion Week Goodge Street Station becomes Gucci Street or Prada takes over Piccadilly Circus.
But one wonders, as I often do, what it is about Britain that makes it so easy to give up valuable public space in order to get rid of it quickly?
For example, why are the Tube platform's signposts that tell you whether you're in the right line often hard to spot, wedged between billboard-sized ads?
Once inside the vehicle, why do we have to use a crane to see the official map posted above and between more advertisements?
You don't realize how annoying this is until you ride the subway in a city like Tokyo. There, on a wall of crisp advertising light, there are signs posted just to help you get from A to B, not to buy a new phone or go on vacation.
The situation is barely better at London's average airport, where it is almost impossible to board a plane without first passing through acres of strategically placed but completely unnecessary duty-free counters. .
I am aware that this is not a problem unique to the UK. But I'm more accustomed to their obnoxious presence here, having had to race through these obligatory retail store obstacle courses to avoid missing my flight from London.
Again, it is unclear why the passenger priority comes second to the duty free shop priority.
You would hardly expect anything else from a British airport. Until recently, it was possible to do something that people still take for granted at busy airports around the world: dropping someone off for free on departure.
You'll have to pay £5 at Gatwick and Heathrow, and £7 at Stansted. This will give you 15 minutes. Anything over that costs £25.
At least you won't be exposed to pointless marketing in the process.
The same cannot be said of all too many museums and art galleries where escape was once impossible except via gift shops.
I want to forgive those responsible for this particular nuisance. At least the items in the museum won't obscure important maps or cause you to miss your flight.
But any kind of public place must first serve the public. We live so much of our lives online that digital marketing is inevitable. Cluttering the real world with ads no one wants and promoting things they don't need is quickly becoming a step too far.
pilita.clark@ft.com
Letter of reply to this column:
Harmless fun at London Fashion Week / Tony Golding, London W4, UK
