The Futures Company

Jo Phillips writes:

We have been talking a lot here at HCHLV recently about the influence that a powerful personality with strong beliefs sitting at the helm of a company can have on brand perception. Bill Gates and Anita Roddick are archetypal, but more modest entrepreneurs can have a similar brand impact (think of Johnny Boden, Stelios, or Richard Reed of Innocent) My view has been reinforced by conversations I have had with consumers across the country this week, as I’ve heard often that Richard Branson is the only man who can save Northern Rock, and indeed any other problem we might care to throw at him.

So it might be thought foolish of Michael O’Leary to publicly declaim his discompassionate greed and complete obliviousness to the cares of people and planet:

“We would welcome a good, deep, bloody recession in this country… It would help see off all the environmental nonsense that has become so popular among the chattering classes.”

He chooses to overlook that people lose jobs and homes in a recession, not to mention the fact that not even George Bush is stubborn enough to deny climate change any more, or come to that that people fly less when they have less money. It was enough to lose Ryanair one customer at least – I have just paid £20 more for a BA flight rather than travel with his airline.