The £44m proof you should question everything

At Tecmark we have a simple mission: to produce work beyond the reach of our competitors.

Nine small words, but one big challenge.

To do this we have to think differently. Where conventional wisdom exists, we must challenge it.

It’s a mindset that runs through everything we do.

And when you think like that, you make some interesting discoveries.

Question everything

Over the last few years Manchester Victoria train station has undergone some serious renovation. A £44m overhaul is bringing the aging station into the 21st century.

Part of the renovation has been the installation of automated ticket barriers for people entering and leaving the platforms – a move designed to save millions on lost ticket fares.

Anybody who might have previously taken a chance and hopped on a train without a ticket is now faced with a physical barrier to doing so.

Everyone knows they must have a ticket.

But most people don’t realise it can be any ticket.

Conventional wisdom says these machines check the destination, date and other details to ensure we’ve paid our dues. We don’t think they do.

In a series of experiments over the last month we’ve found that you can use ANY ticket you like. It seems that regardless of date, validity or destination, the barrier will let you through as long as it’s presented with a ticket.

The proof

To be clear, we’ve bought valid tickets for every trip we’ve made.

But in this video you can see how we’ve kept the valid ticket in one hand and used invalid tickets to get through the barriers:

When faced with the barriers, people believe what they must do. We’ve been programmed to accept things as they’re presented.

But if we’re going to be different, be better, and produce those results others can’t, we must challenge conventional wisdom.

It was this thinking that led us to decide there was a better way to show people why they should travel to Dubai.

And why being a scrap merchant doesn’t mean you can’t make national news.

Because conventional wisdom often isn’t wisdom at all.