The great campaign
Page 17
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THE SOCIETY of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shares CM's view that the public and opinion formers are generally poorly informed as to the importance of the role of the road transport industry. They know little of the high standards of safety required both of operators and drivers, the many improvements introduced over the years in road transport operations and its vehicles, and the inability of rail or other modes to meet Britain's transport needs, which can only be satisfied by road vehicles.
The SMMT also believes that similar misconceptions or lack of factual knowledge apply to the car, bus and coach and indeed the motor industry and motor trade as a whole.
The SMMT also believes that campaigns on behalf of individual sectors of the total "road vehicle interest", for want of a better term, are likely to yield as valuable a result as would a total campaign embracing all road user interests. Such sector campaigns can set the various road-user interests at each others' throats and there have been instances of this in one current campaign. The beneficiaries of such a fragmented approach can only, we believe, be other transport modes, or the loosely termed "environmental antis", certainly not the industry or consumer.
The leading role which CM has taken over many years in promoting better commercial I vehicles and better commercial vehicle operations and in telling the story to the wider world is, and always has been, laudable. However, one must doubt the credibility of any individual commercial publication trying to lead a national campaign on behalf of an industry.
The reason is simply that you too are in a competitive, commercial business and are seen as having vested interests. To be successful, such a campaign must win the support of the widest possible media base. By way of example may I cite one of SMMT's own big errors of the past: in the early days of the Racing Car Show we allied its promotion to that of one national newspaper. The limited attention it received from the rest of the national Press was a lesson we ignore at our peril.
The SMMT has considered a total road interests campaign in the past and is currently devoting a lot of effort and money to a new initiative which is receiving serious study at the
highest level by committees representing all.our member interests.
Two recent quotes from SMMT president George Turnbull and Ford chairman Sam Toy help to show the realisation of the need for such an all-embracing road interests campaign: George Turnbull at SMMT agm, June 1983: "... Our current position as an industry cannot be stated often enough as an industry, we need to have the public on our side if we want to influence successfully our elected decision makers.. . ."
Sam Toy, SMMT/CBI Conference, May 1983: "... We are going to have to do a much more effective job of lobbying — not just governments, but also pressure and consumer groups, the media, academics and other publics., we must be much more professional in our public relations and aim to educate our key publics and improve the image of the industry...." JOHN WEINTHAL Head of Press and Public Relations Society of Motor Manufacturers. and Traders London SW1
We hasten to assure readers that CM,s involvement in the campaign will cease to be active once the campaign committee takes over. This has been our intention from the outset. We are the catalyst. — Editor.