Say No to No Say

This campaign wording came to mind today. I recommended that it be used by those who opposed the Government's desire to abolish all of Auckland's local government structures without clear public mandate.....

The slogan: "Say No to No Say" was invented by Boase Massimi Pollit (ad agency) in 1984, when Thatcher's Government decided - without mandate - to abolish the much loved (and presumably hated by some) Greater London Council. BMP came up with the slogan under commission by the GLC, defending itself vigorously.

The slogan has actually made the hall of fame for brand slogans. (Worth a look by the way:
http://www.adslogans.co.uk/hof/hofindx3.html. You will recognise your past.)

Anyway, I was living in London at the time and well remember another billboard campaign advert run by GLC which simply said: "Fare's Fair". This promoted a 50P flat fare. You could go anywhere in London for a while - by bus or tube - just by paying 50 Pence. It was great. Patronage rocketed. Tube travel was a bit uncomfortable because the tube trains were crammed. Especially at rush hour. But it was very popular.

At the time I was working in partnership with a couple of others making campaign videos. One project was called "Early Warning at Work", which was made for a consortium of trade unions wanting a discussion trigger video for worker meetings. There was a lot of globalisation of British industry going on at the time. Major companies were parcelling up component manufacture and getting stuff built abroad by low paid workers on piece work. Workshops and factories were being shut down across Britain. Workers were losing their jobs.

The idea behind the video was to encourage workers to be watchful - check out the consultants on the shop floor with clip-boards, watch the trials of new equipment, be aware when foreign delegations visit. All that sort of stuff.

Anyway, the thing was that the video was funded by GLEB - the Greater London Enterprise Board. Supporting local creative enterprise!

We had to sign a contract about what we were going to deliver and for how much. What you would expect. What was really interesting about the contract - so interesting that I've kept it in my archives - was the clause that was forced into it by an Act of Parliament.

The clause said: "We, the undersigned agree that the words 'Say No to No Say' will not be used in any form in any item produced under this contract."

Don't you find that fascinating?
Almost Orwellian. 1984. Happy days.