As seen on TV

Did you see Mary Queen of Shops on Monday night (9pm BBC2)? Classic "fly-on-the-wall' TV. You missed a treat. Mary Portas (retail guru) trying to talk sense into the very stubborn owner of a bakers in south London. It was great to watch. An engaging cast of characters and lots of drama. But in amongst all that was a really interesting little lesson about brand development:

Before you start a project, define - and agree - the outcome.

It doesn't matter what your business does; whether you're a baker or an accountant, a mechanic or a software developer. Make sure that everyone involved in the project understands what you're (collectively) trying to achieve. You don't need to watch the programme to learn the lesson, I've summarised here:

The route of all the problems that Mary came up against was that she and the owner - Angela - had a completely different understanding about what the outcome of the project was to be. Mary was in there (at Angela's request!) to turn the businesses around and help them avoid becoming another statistic (one third of independent bakers in the UK have closed in the last two years). Angela thought she was there to give them some suggestions on the shop layout. So when Mary tells Angela to stop making the same cakes and bread she's made for the last 30 years, and bake something that people actually want to buy... Sparks fly!

Now, it was a TV show, so I'm sure the producer made sure there was some drama, but it is a great example of the problems you can face when the outcome of a project hasn't been agreed.

It was the first of a new six-part series, so look out for next week's show, BBC2 at 9pm. Who knows what we might learn?

If you'd like to have a chat about your brand, and what it can do for your business, email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk or call 01392 249107.