Jamesq

The battles for the Isle of Man Steam Packet seem to be continuing with not only the loss of jobs in its Belfast Office but also the “Use it or lose it” comment made in respect of the second fast craft, Snaefell. It’s a shame that in all the negativity that has surrounded services and decisions recently, no matter whether it has been justified or not, has been met with equally negative retorts from the Steam Packet itself. I was even more surprised by the Steam packets refusal to comment over the redundancies in Belfast.

Isle of Man Steam Packet CEO, Mark Woodford has gone to some efforts to open up communications with his Word with Woodford postings. But is this just a smokescreen to make us think they care or want an open for of communication? Ok, so Mr Woodford has turned off comments to his blog, I’m sure many of the comments left would have been less than supportive, but it still remains that this is public sentiment and to really be an open Company the conversation must be two way! It seems strange too that an open company would refuse to comment about an issue that could have been diluted with an open, heartfelt message and rationale from the CEO.

I think it’s great that Mr Woodford has taken this first step but really feel this needs to become more than a PR vehicle if the Company really wants to break down the barriers with its customers. In respect of the ‘Use it or lose it’ I really think this sounds desperate and is trying to pass the blame for a failed venture on to the public. Demand through guilt? So to boost this they are going to launch a T.V. campaign which, OK, has its place but sounds a little like chuck enough shit and something will stick. And in the mean time, tell the public that it’s their fault if the additional service disappears.

I think the Isle of Man Steam Packet is one of those places that will always be in the line of fire just because of its fundamental position to the Island and its residents. It is to some extent at the mercy of the Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure but this is where resources and efforts must be co-ordinated as part of a long term strategy for raising the awareness of the Isle of Man and bringing people up to date with some of the great things that are going on in the Island. If activities aren’t coordinated and considered, they may fail to deliver long-term benefits for the Island and as a consequence, to the transport networks to the Island.

Many people haven’t even heard of the Isle of Man so I am unsure how the T.V. advertising is going to work at this stage or who it will target. If it is a specific group already aware of the Isle of Man such as walkers, bikers and Manx expats surely there are far more direct, and cost effective channels than television. If it is delivering a call to action like a special offer for travel to the Isle of Man then it is only likely to attract customers who are already aware of the Island and have a positive image of a holiday here. I don’t think enough groundwork has been laid to raise the awareness of what the Island has to offer for a campaign like this to be effective with new visitors to the Isle of Man. But this isn’t the responsibility of the Steam Packet. The Television advertising is being run in conjunction with the Department of Tourism and Leisure so it will be interesting to see how this is approached. I really hope they get this right and that it has been carefully built in to existing plans. If it is a direct response to the Steam Packet threatening to pull the plug on the second boat then it might come across like that and deliver no long term benefits to the Island whatsoever.

I’d also really like to see Mr Woodford open up his blog and go through the pain of a couple of months of difficult questions, be open about the direction of the Steam Packet, be positive about the year ahead and start encouraging us that we are missing out by not traveling by boat rather than the ‘use it or lose it’ approach. I think residents would be quick to praise the Company would it be for a period of prolonged good news to Island residents. So here’s hoping for some special offers, great customer focussed service and regular sailings in 2008.