The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Discussion of the re-branding of CTC as Cycling UK.
Giles Pargiter
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Giles Pargiter »

That is IMV a circular argument though Rick. The points you raise do not in my view arise from the name but from the way that the charity is/is not promoted. This will not be solved by changing the name but by the way that the charity reaches out.
The (proposed) name change not only is short sighted, expensive, forseably short lived and zenophobic (quite apart from other issues about the way it is occuring) but is also not at all easy to distinguish from BC, which always has had a considerable overlap with the CTC and now, to a person who knows little of the cycling world is pretty much identical.
This name change goes a long way towards divorcing the CTC from it's heritage, which IMV should be used to indicate a long standing organisation that can show its long standing and stable commitment to cycling and the authuority and knowledge on the subject that it has accumulated. Which to put it in a fashionista way, is one of its most powerful "branding" points. The point that you make about others new to cycling not knowing this, is not because of the name but because of the mis-managed way that the organisation has been promoted. This coupled to the diminshment of the (former) club services, which are now absolutely negligible - some of which I have mentioned above amounts to a corporate hijack (as I also mentioned above). The whole organisation is in great danger of going the same way as the RAC and AA as has been explained above.
If the "rebranding" effort had been spent on promoting our interests at all skillfully, we would not now be members of an organisation which is becoming increasingly ridiculed in the cycling world, for wasting our time and money on pointless efforts.
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Penfold
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Penfold »

Can anyone give some accurate figures on current membership levels and how they have (if they have) followed the reported increase in cycling as a pastime here in Blighty?

I do tend to potter about bike shops, good grief I have even strayed into "word corrected to Halfords", however, I can't ever recall seeing any posters displayed informing the populous of the existence of CTC/CUK.

I'm on these boards because I have an interest in cycle camping and I find the other forum topics of interest in general, (apart from the road racing stuff) I enjoy opinions on the TdF , Olympics et al but I'm here because I did join once for a few years. I left due to the almost complete lack of anything else the club offered me. I didn't (in the end) see the point in paying my subs for a magazine and insurance cover. Insurance I can get cheaper myself. Mags I don't tend to bother with too often as I use the tinternetweb for research etc. So I let my membership end. I don't think anyone from HQ contacted me to ask why? or to encourage me to re think my view. In this day of computers it cant be that hard to manage a few thousand(?) members and know when their subs are due and if they have paid.
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PaulB
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by PaulB »

mjr wrote:It could be worse: I'm told the Civil Service Motoring Association is rebranding as "Boundless" :roll:


Yes, I received an envelope full of "bumph" telling me how great the CSMA will be now it is called Boundless. The powers that be say the organisation has a new 'stylish' logo. The logo is the word boundless (no capital B) in a font not too dissimilar to the cycling UK branding. It probably cost a fortune. The members' magazine used to be about motoring but is now "lifestyle"; holidays in France, fine wines, weekend breaks etc. Any cars that are featured tend to be at least in the £20,000 bracket and above. I'm a former civil servant but still a member and all the features in the magazine are way above my pay grade. The publication ends up in the recycling bag the day it arrives - as did the CTC magazine. Change is not always better.
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Philip Benstead
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Philip Benstead »

If the CTC /CUK poll goes for the CTC will the Chair of the CTC respect the decision like PM with the EU vote?
If no, will CTC members remember that decision when the CTC Council elections come around again?
Or ill CTC Council get away with it?
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
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PH
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by PH »

Philip Benstead wrote:If the CTC /CUK poll goes for the CTC will the Chair of the CTC respect the decision like PM with the EU vote?
If no, will CTC members remember that decision when the CTC Council elections come around again?
Or ill CTC Council get away with it?

If it goes the way of Cycling UK, will you do likewise? Or at the very least just accept the decision, like you haven't with he charity vote?
Barred1
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Barred1 »

Philip Benstead wrote:If the CTC /CUK poll goes for the CTC will the Chair of the CTC respect the decision like PM with the EU vote?
If no, will CTC members remember that decision when the CTC Council elections come around again?
Or ill CTC Council get away with it?



Or more likely pass the buck to his successor as Mr Cameron has done (in terms of pressing the Lisbon button) . . . . ?

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Philip Benstead
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Philip Benstead »

UPDATE
It is my understanding that the rather poorly executed governance survey was never quoted or used by the governance committee. So it become a none subject to the discussion.

With the expected receipt of our backlog of gift aid i would expect CUK to use it too have big push to increase membership. But with the reconfiguration of UK political environment, the reduction in monies to give to cycling even if Boris get in is expect to fall, i expect the financial climate require CUK to very careful with it monies for the next few years.

This move us on to the obvious question how do we measure success of CUK, yes i know there is membership and finance health, but how to gauge influence.
Do we have to increase our staff to satellite offices over the UK?
Taking on projects for local authorise?
I would welcome debate from others on how do we measure the success of CUK.
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
Euskadi
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Re: The Rebrand is Essential to our Future

Post by Euskadi »

I like the fact that 'Cycling UK' seems very active on social media (I only use Twitter so find CUK campaigning presence there helpful). I like the fact it seems to have engaged across broader issues (e.g. Rides of Way campaign most recently). It feels more like LCC but at a more national level. Also on the positive theme, I would like to say that next year I will have been a member of CTC for 50 years (literally all my life). I took the rebrand very badly. I have now reconciled myself to it, and although I will always be a touring cyclist at heart, I think that Cycling UK - as a campaigning organising - offers a better vision and a wider appeal. I also suspect that the current people who run Cycling UK offer a more professional approach to raising awareness and funds and generally networking.
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