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CEREAL NETWORKING!

It’s National Networking week and the Mafia were in town in force again this week. That’s not a local branch of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, but The Muesli Mafia in Tunbridge Wells, holding their three-monthly Business to Business ‘Cereal Networking Breakfast’ at the Royal Wells hotel.  This is by no means an advertisement, but I felt it would be a good example of how a business networking event could have a set agenda but still offer a relaxed but professional environment. We listen to discussions over the pros and cons of a structured formula or informal ‘meet-ups’ with some having the opinion that ‘serious’ business people don’t attend the more casual events. I have to admit that food and talking shop don’t always sit well together. Probably due to the combination of us having been taught not to talk with our mouth full and trusting to luck that you’re not seated next to your direct competitors with no escape. Although you would of course at least have something in common.  This could be where The Muesli Mafia and other similar business events have it cracked. A pre-breakfast gathering gives the opportunity to get together with the 80 or so in the group, the early birds being joined by a steady stream of fellow networkers. With just one house rule that it’s not acceptable to sit next to the same person you sat with last time, conversation then flows freely over a relaxed breakfast, followed by a presentation delivered by an invited speaker. Anything from reading the body language of our politicians, to the day in the life of a Secret Shopper or the benefits of Social Media. A complementary printed booklet gives a comprehensive listing of all the attendees with company logos, a brief business profile and contact details for future reference, giving the opportunity to catch up later without the frantic exchanging of business cards.  Yes, it’s relaxed and informal and something of an occasion, but I know it has to be a ‘serious’ affair due the number of grey suits and neatly knotted ties in the room. Brightened by the splashes of colour of course from us females who know a thing or two about how to stand out in a crowd! Sorry chaps. However, when the announcement was made that National Wear Your Pyjamas to Work Day is coming up on the 18th May, it did make me wonder how many in the room will play along as it co-incides with the next Muesli Mafia networking breakfast in Bromley!  Business networking doesn’t have to be sombre and soulless to be effective. So bearing that in mind, will you be business to business networking in your pyjamas on the 18th?

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CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

Posted by bussroot | Posted in Creative | Posted on 08-02-2011

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We all know of the brain teaser, ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg’ .The subject came up during a recent Twuttle meeting of the local Twitterati and at the time there seemed to be no connection with this and how we do business. Not that we engage in idle banter during these gatherings of course! However, having been prompted to put some thought into the subject, certain aspects came to life! 

The egg, the core idea or brand thought, is a single word which brings together all facets of your brand and a strong identity means that consumers will think of your company first when they think of your product category. Beans = Heinz, Vacuum Cleaner = Hoover, Biro = Bic. Everything is built around this, starting with the logo, running seamlessly throughout all the marketing material and the website. A few years ago, when the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger prepared to launch their collection in the UK, billboards were simply covered with the brand name and supported with magazine adverts, saying nothing more than the news that Hilfiger was coming! Without any preview of the clothing range, potential stockists were pleading to be on the approved list of outlets and the success of the brand was established without a single piece of the collection being seen prior to the UK release. 

We tend to view the brand as something which develops after the product innovation, but which really comes first? The Brand should represent the soul of the company and be there at the birth, followed by the marketing strategy, corporate objective and brand message. It’s the foundation on which every essential feature grows and should be in the forefront of your mind when you originate the idea for a product or service. Customers may come and go and products evolve and develop, but a strong brand message will survive change. It’s your value promise, both visible and audible, connecting the name, logo and strapline (slogan) to the product, building a relationship with the marketplace. 

Should you decide to launch a new product under the established brand name in the future, the identity should be strong enough to support a credible brand extension. Bear in mind that this needs to be compatible with the brand’s foundation. You wouldn’t for example, expect McDonalds to open a chain of greengrocers. Whilst adding a new product can strengthen and benefit the parent brand if it’s relevant to the core brand message, deviating too far from the original product can damage perception, even more so if it proves to be a bad egg! 

Bringing us back to the chicken and egg condundrum, the other question posed in the discussion was who first made the decision that a boiled egg and soldiers would be an improvement on the raw ingredient? One of our early entrepreneurs do you think?

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