First, let me make my personal feelings clear. I’m all for staying in Europe. But as any sensible person knows, business and politics don’t always mix. So enough of how I’ll be tackling my ballot paper, and more about why the in/out campaign has been so fascinating.
In fact, the Brexit debate has been a great case for businesses to see what can happen when you don’t keep things simple. With politicians seemingly unable to find clear facts to stick to, it makes it mighty difficult to make an informed decision. If business leaders went about getting customers on side the way our political elite are, then no one would sell anything.
In the trade of selling holidays, we often forget how important it is to present our customers with the clear “why” reasons to spend and book with us. After all, we are selling dreams, and so perhaps we can be forgiven for getting a little lazy when it comes to sharp decision-forcing messages.
I’m not the only one in the cruise sector who gets frustrated when I see cruise line marketing materials that all use pretty much the same white ship image. There is nothing to differentiate anyone. It’s like when the campaigners on both sides of the Brexit fence shout – we stop listening.
The challenge with something as complex as Brexit is that despite the multimillion-pound spin campaigns around the yes and no camps, the power of simplicity has been lost. When no one seems to know what the outcomes of an important decision might be, it is hard to decide which side of the fence you come down on.
Perhaps that is why Brexit has been one of the political hot potatoes that many large businesses have been so prepared to tackle. Our travel industry peers from businesses such as Tui and easyJet haven’t been shy in coming forward about why they want people to vote to remain in the EU. In fact, their eloquent stances on supporting “in” as essential for growth, investment and creating jobs is the kind of clear messaging we would all appreciate from our political leaders.
Businesses in other sectors have also been vocal with their opinions. One famous pub chain has printed their Brexit opinions on beermats in their bars across the country. These are the kind of simple but brilliant approaches that reach the voting public and cut through the confusion.
Whatever you think about Brexit, take a moment to register what convinced you to vote for in or out. Whether it was economic statistics, facts, the opinions of an organisation you trust, a political leader, a TV programme or even a beer mat that caught your attention, take note of that decision-forcing element.
My post-Brexit vision is that I’ll remember how important it is to keep things simple. If you catch me not sticking to this, then shout the names of politicians at me and I will recall that I need to start again with the “why” at the centre of my approach.
Jo Rzymowska is managing director UK and Ireland of Celebrity Cruises
