Branded Businesses

Abstract

The previous chapter identified that the central means whereby UK manufacturers created value was through branding. On the face of it this seems obvious but also bold. The so-called average person in the street’s view of branding is that branding is nothing more than a pointless add-on, usually by marketing, intended to make us pay more than we would for often poor products. Such a view is echoed by no less than Sir James Dyson—the UK needs to move away from services such as marketing, branding and advertising, and return to making things. Unfortunately for Sir James, one cannot escape reputation or branding and his anti-branded strategy is one of the most powerful of all.