What do you do when a brand goes off the rails?

One of my favourite brand case studies starts a new chapter this week when responsibility for running Melbourne’s train system shifts from Connex to a new firm, Metro.

Connex has been plauged with problems, but can Metro turn things around?

It’s going to be a hard ask, given that many of the underlying reasons for Connex’s failure still exist: aging infrastructure; poorly framed contracts with loop holes like Swiss cheese; a government more interested in building roads than buying trains; industrial unrest.

But we humans love a good scapegoat and with our favorite suspect sent home for bad behaviour and historically low approval ratings, we get a supposedly clean slate on which to gripe from.

I am not for one moment excusing Connex for its tone deaf handling of <insert your favorite failure here>. They seemed to be genetically incapable of responding to community concerns and system failures with anything approaching dexterity, humility or even candour. And the basic operations and customer communications for the system is where Metro can certainly demonstrate immediate improvement.

The big question for me is whether the consortium of players who are tasked with running the newly named Metro have the shared values to deliver the kind of turn around necessary? Only time will tell. The Hong Kong and London Metro systems are well regarded and by all accounts well run, and one of the major consortium players also holds those contracts.

There are still several wild cards out there that could derail the new kids before they can get a decent track record – the impending roll-out of MyKi ticketing system being just one of the gorillas in the corner. Another being the inherited ex-Connex workforce. But maybe new operating guidelines and an attitude adjustment as they step into new grey uniforms will replace the usual surly scowls with sunnier demeanours. We can only hope.

I don’t envy Metro and wish them luck; right now they are a name on a train with a pile of baggage attached. What they do in the next three to six months will show whether they get the chance to build their own brand or be forever mired in the legacy of their customers’ Connex-plex.

Oh, and if they are reading this – I would be really grateful if you could please try and keep the 8.40am Werribee on-time. Thanks!

See you next week.

Michel Hogan is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment.