Transport for London has reappointed VCCP to its creative account, initially in a pitch against Accenture Song but then all on its own as Song’s Accenture parent abandoned its DEI policies in a shameless piece of toadying to Trump. TfL is big on DEI it seems, just as it is on bombarding passengers with annoying messages as they try to navigate its creaking network.

It also has a mind-boggling 2200 staff earning over £100,000, failing to make the trains run on time. One of the escalators at my local (deep) tube station has been out of action for over a year, marooning passengers who need it to get up a steep hill. Maybe some of that money could be spent on….

Should TfL be spending significant sums on marketing in the circumstances? After all it has an entirely captive audience: traveling by car being almost impossible in mayor Sadiq Khan’s London.

VCCP has a long record in dealing with such tricky accounts. A couple of years ago it was appointed by benighted Thames Water, even shooting a commercial with a winsome otter (to show clean water, ho ho) down in Richmond, south west London.

Hope springs eternal in adland it seems but a period of silence from TfL would be rather welcome.