Robert Jenrick confronts fare dodgers

The Conservative Party Shadow Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick has released a video where he confronts fare dodgers on the London Underground.

It’s a powerful example of “show, don’t tell” communication. Instead of a speech about law and order, the Shadow Justice Secretary physically puts himself in the moment, challenging rule-breakers face to face. 

It’s a risky thing for anyone to do. There’s real jeopardy in the film. It’s raw and unpolished which gives it that most sort of quality: authenticity. 

Jenrick’s reference to “weird Turkish barber shops” is deliberately calibrated to create outrage. It’s not relevant to the point he’s making and it’s offensive, which means people are guaranteed to notice it and question it, thus increasing the view count.

This doesn’t feel like an ad, but that’s exactly what it is. It’s just one that’s built for the attention economy. It’s visceral, and emotional and it has racked up over 3 million views on X alone, in just six hours.