I can’t decide if this man is a genius, or a total imbecile. Either way, check out this petty publicity stunt milking the financial crisis.

The company: adventure holiday firm, Dragoman. The mastermind: Adam Dixon-Smith. The premise: If you’ve been made redundant since the world financial crisis started (these guys reckon it began on 15th September with the fall of the Lehman Brothers, FYI) then you get ten per cent off a holiday.

I suppose it’s quite a nice gesture really. You’ve been “let go”, You’re wondering what to do next. What better way to re-evaluate one’s life than buggering off on a tour to Africa in a 6-wheeled, ten tonne truck ala Dragoman?  I mean, that’s what any sane person would do.

Unless they were scrambling to find a new job, pay their mortgage or, god forbid, invest their scant savings into starting a venture and becoming an entrepreneur. That’s just for weirdos.

Dixon-Smith says, “In the past, it’s been hard for people to believe that it’s the job that’s redundant, not them, so many people missed out on the opportunities that redundancy can open up.”

Ah yes. The opportunity to wear one’s pyjamas ALL DAY. The opportunity to become a Guitar Hero pro. Or watch pornography until you go cross-eyed. 

He continues, “Through this offer, we want to help people make the most of what can be seen as new-found freedom. Redundancy, if viewed and used properly, can completely rejuvenate someone’s career or entire life – and that’s what our holidays have always been about. ” 

The firm has seen a 20 per cent increase in sales since the crisis began. Overall, a quarter of the people that took trips with the company “were in the process of re-assessing their careers.”

I suppose it makes sense that the kind of people who go off-roading in gas-guzzling trucks on the other side of the world might not be the most stable, work-orientated of persons. 

Interestingly too, you have to book your trip before the end of March ’09. i.e. Pay up before your redundancy payment runs out, while you’re still reeling from the shock of rejection and making poorly thought out decisions.

Still, if you’ve been unlucky enough to get the chop, and want to take advantage of this tantalising offer, go to dragoman.com. All they ask is that you provide proof of redundancy. An intimate knowledge of This Morning should suffice…

Why not sign up to our small business newsletter and learn more?

Rating

By Carmen Snipes  on   Nov 25,2008

Add a comment  |  Add a rating  |  Email to a friend

Keywords

redundancy    starting a business    holiday    recession    economy   

Comments