A disabled charity has criticised a campaign that has seen a London Underground line rebranded by Heineken 0.0 for Dry January.
The campaign, which rolled out last week, has overhauled platform signage along the Bakerloo line, changing the name of the line to the ‘Bakerl0.0 line’. Station names including Waterloo and Oxford Circus have also been changed to ‘Waterl0.0’ and ‘Oxf0.0rd Circus’ respectively.
The 0.0 rebrand was “a playful nod designed to highlight just how unusual it is to strike up a chat on the Tube, and to suggest that it might be easier with an alcohol-free beer in hand”, said Heineken.
However Transport for All – a charity that advocates for accessibility for disabled passengers – said the adverts could cause “unnecessary confusion” for those using the transport network.
Transport for All Co-CEO Emma Vogelmann said: “For many people – including those with visual impairments, learning disabilities, neurodivergent people, or people who experience fatigue or brain fog – these campaigns can turn a routine journey into a stressful or unsafe one.”
For those with disabilities, getting around London with confidence and ease depended on having “consistent, recognisable information across the Tube network”, Vogelmann added.
To add to passenger confusion, one of the adverts by Heineken at Paddington Station also appeared to show the stations in the wrong order.
Southbound signs displayed Maida Vale and Kilburn Park in the wrong position, users on social media platform Reddit pointed out.
One enraged user said: “If you are the TfL [Transport for London] commercial partnerships manager, you work to one principle: Don’t f*** up the usability of the Tube in order to make ad revenue.”
It was “quite depressing that even something as fundamental as the tube line map is an opportunity for advertisers”, added another.
Heineken's tube advert gets the stations in the wrong order
byu/Minute_Tomatillo9730 inlondon
TfL insisted it had carried out an equality impact assessment ahead of Heineken’s campaign going live across its network.
“Though well-planned, creative activations like these, we can help companies reach people as they travel across London,” said TfL customer director Emma Strain. “Any activations on our network are fully assessed to ensure that they do not impact our services, staff or customers, and the additional revenue raised is invested into London’s transport network to provide further improvements across the capital.”
It is not the first time TfL has rebranded elements of the London Underground to generate advertising revenue. A collaboration with Burberry during London Fashion Week in 2023 saw Bond Street Underground station renamed ‘Burberry Street’.
The campaign made £500,000 for TfL, but prompted similar backlash from accessibility campaigners.
Heineken UK was approached for comment.
No comments yet