Railroad Forums 

  • Kalmbach Went Over The Top

  • Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.
Discussion related to railroads/trains that show up in TV shows, commercials, movies, literature (books, poems and more), songs, the Internet, and more... Also includes discussion of well-known figures in the railroad industry or the rail enthusiast hobby.

Moderator: Aa3rt

 #682202  by Gilbert B Norman
 
I accept that Kalmbach Publishing Company rosters an array of specialty magazines of which TRAINS is simply one of such, but this ad reportedly circulated on the internet is "just too much". It would appear that they contract with an ad agency having little or no grounding in railroad industry affairs:

http://links.mkt746.com/servlet/MailVie ... &mt=1&rt=0

Image

Kalmbach reportedly has sent this e-mail to all recipients of the above material:

  • "Earlier today our promotional team distributed a Father's Day e-mail advertisement for our magazines, depicting a father and child walking along a railroad track. The photograph was highly inappropriate, and we apologize for including it in the ad. The editorial staffs of Trains, Classic Trains, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railways are dedicated to promoting railroad safety in all our efforts and we truly regret the use of this photo.

    The Publishers"
I can only hope that this sorry excuse of marketing is not repeated by any other media concern. Since the track would appear to be of FRA Class IV, I must wonder if either model, especially the child, was aware to the extent their personal safety was jeapordized.
 #682384  by RedLantern
 
It's possible, but unlikely. Although the ties are definately concrete, and the rails are shiny, judging by the absence of Pandrol Clips and the way the rails appear to be bolted to the rails, my guess is that this photo was from somewhere in Europe. I don't know what the railroad trespassing laws are like over there, but I can't imagine that what is shown in this photo was legal wherever it was taken.

This certainly isn't the first time I've seen this blatant disregard for safety in advertising, I remember a few years ago seeing a billboard in Boston for Nike or something showing a guy jogging down the center of a track gauge. It took a lot of complaining from railfans and railroads alike to get that ad pulled. When I sent an email to the advertising company after seeing it, they told me that they "saw nothing wrong with the photo" and that jogging on railroad tracks is "a common practice".
 #682454  by jonmurr
 
Hate to speculate, but that blurry sign up the right of way, has a European look also. The whole episode reinforces the fact that the dumbest members of business are marketing people, consultants, and freshly minted MBAs.
 #682491  by Gilbert B Norman
 
The point that the image could have been created by using "Photo Shop' software, means that the models were not in any kind of jeapordy.

But with that having been noted, I still cannot condone the action of Kalmbach Publishing Company for sanctioning the use of such (if there was no final review of the ad copy by staff associated with the railroad related publications, then that inaction constituted a sanction). In this world, all too often "life imitates art'.

Other instances of advertising that I consider irresponsible simply because life imitates art are any advertisements that depict autos being driven in an aggressive manner - and there are plenty of those out there over which to spread the blame. Away from autos, I find one sponsored by JPMorgan Chase NA to be quite irresponsible. That is one which shows a "single Mom' at a mall with her two "tweenie" daughters. Mom's cell phone rings, daughters think the caller is Mom's boyfriend who neither apparently have much use for, Mom then says 'that was Chase texting my balance; Ladies, let's go shopping".

Whatever happened to the parameters I always told my clients during twenty one years in practice as a CPA - plan, execute, account - were the building blocks of sound household financial management - and this coming from a bank rather than a retailer!!!!

But alas, I'll concede it could have been worse; as would be the case with an ad for a credit card issuer texting a cardholder with their available credit line.
 #682528  by Rockingham Racer
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote:But with that having been noted, I still cannot condone the action of Kalmbach Publishing Company for sanctioning the use of such (if there was no final review of the ad copy by staff associated with the railroad related publications, then that inaction constituted a sanction). In this world, all too often "life imitates art'.
Cannot agree more.
 #682571  by gprimr1
 
I suspect that the maganzine probally got premission to take this picture from the railroad, and a dispatcher probally protected the area during the photoshoot.

But I do agree that it will probally be repeated, without railroad premission, or dispatcher protection.
 #682627  by donredhead
 
Definataly Canada or Great Britain with that sign. But the tower? Also Concrete Ties on a siding shows how the Europeans got there act toghther when it comes to trains. Shame on us for puting profits before people
 #682672  by taoyue
 
The media industry often has strange ideas. Many here have pointed out other examples of screw-ups.

This case was unfortunate, but Kalmbach apologized quickly (same day), and hopefully they'll take steps to prevent its recurrence in the future. The most important thing about screw-ups is to learn from them.

I guess I'm just willing to cut them some slack.
 #682678  by RedLantern
 
If they knew how dangerous it was to walk down the middle of the gauge, I think they would've avoided using that picture to begin with. I seriously doubt they would photoshop them into the track, that just doesn't seem practical. As for obtaining permission from the railroad, still, why make it appear that a person is putting a small child in serious danger on purpose? I think this either a railfan (trainspotter?) photo of people acting stupid, or a shoot by a misinformed advertising company. The decision to use this photo was most likely the work of an advertising firm which didn't put enough thought into.
 #682904  by Jersey Jeff
 
If advertising art people are like most Americans, they have never even been close enough to a high-density rail line long enough to take notice it even exists. Railroad tracks are things that are overgrown with weeds and out of sight and mind. Amtrak and the freight railroads are invisible to the vast majority of Americans, so what makes you think that one of Don Draper's men wouldn't think twice of running that photo?
 #683179  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Point duly noted, Jeff. However, didn't Don always call the client in for a presentation and after a few remarks directed at Peggy that would had any of 'em fired nowadays, he proceeded to get them washed down with a little J&B (sun was not even over the yardarm), they were presented with the agency's proposed campaign.

While a single ad does not warrant a full presentation that Don and his crew would put on, at least it should have been reviewed by the staff of one of Kalmbach's railroad publications. I'd like to think such was the case.

Finally, can't wait for Season 3; I didn't even know where to find AMC before i learned of this show - it is a worthy successor to The Sopranos, without which I am hard pressed to justify continuing a HoBO subscription.
 #684442  by Otto Vondrak
 
gprimr1 wrote:I suspect that the maganzine probally got premission to take this picture from the railroad, and a dispatcher probally protected the area during the photoshoot.
Highly doubtful. This is stock photography.
 #686189  by mxdata
 
This is a somewhat amusing discussion, particularly in light of some of the contradictions in the hobby and the publishing industry that it exposes. You can go to most any hobby shop or museum store and see numerous photos in "coffee table" railroad photography books that were taken from locations much closer to the gauge than railroad safety programs would allow authorized employees to stand at the same location with a train passing. In most cases the photographer who took the image was obviously trespassing. With many images that are apparent violations of established safety rules being routinely published in this hobby, is it much of a surprise that railfans are now unwelcome on so many properties?

MX