Fiery discussion at last night’s Question Time Debate

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Last night the Seligman Theatre within The Royal College of Physicians, London, played host to an enthralling Question Time Debate where Google’s director of external relations for Europe, Peter Barron,  played the role of David Dimbleby and was joined by an illustrious panel. 

The line up included Harriet Lamb of the Fairtrade Foundation, Simon Gulliford, Lord Tim Bell and our very own chief executive Hugh Burkitt. Members of The Marketing Society listened intently, and  tested the panel on topics including the London riots, The Big Society and the importance of digital communities. 

The Big Society
In a lively discussion driven by probing questions from the audience, Peter Barron directed the questions and fired the debate. One question from audience about the challenge of The Big Society was opposed by Lord Tim Bell stating that it was impossible to describe in less than fifty words and that the government wasn’t entirely sure of what it was. However, it was considered by Hugh Burkitt that “The problem with The Big Society is that the media trash it. David Cameron and Nick Clegg should keep it up and they could have a great thing on their hands.” 

The London Riots
Lord Tim Bell considered that marketing isn’t to blame for the London Riots. “Marketing is fundamentally a good thing, what matters is what you market.” However, Harriet Lamb argued the case that the consumer society we live in is unsustainable and that the riots were fuelled by the want to consume more. “At some point we are going to have to consume less but value what we consume more.”

The importance of Digital Communities
Simon Gulliford contributed with some bold and entertaining comments throughout the evening, most notably when talking about ‘Digital Communities’ which he stated are a form of “marketing bollocks”. Simon continued by saying that real communities are formed through solid connections be it through music or togetherness through hardship.

Our members awarded the evening a more than respectable feedback score of 4.5 out of 5. One member commented that the debate was “very stimulating and that the points of view were passionate and often elegantly debated“.

With thanks to Meteorite our Growth Driver partner.

We return to The Royal College of Physicians on 10 October with an Audience with Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco.

Posted: September 16th, 2011 | Author: will.armstrong | Filed under: Features | Tags: Digital Communities, Fairtrade, google, Harriet Lamb, Hugh Burkitt, London Riots, Lor Tim Bell, Marketing Society Members, Meteorite, Peter Barron, Question Time Debate, Simon Guilliford, The Big Society | Leave a Comment »

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