Waitrose, Mulberry, Molton Brown (you have to appreciate a little luxury!) – I love them and they love me! There are other brands that don’t love me and so I don’t love them anymore. A very senior and well respected marketing man gave me the best piece of advice many years ago. I was moaning  about a client, “He’s an a**hole”, I said. He shot back with the insightful comment that, “whatever you are thinking about him, he’s probably thinking the same about you”. Since that day I could give you countless examples of how that is true and I think it applies to brands too.

Back to Waitrose; we have a mutual admiration for each other. I love shopping there. Their shopping experience, for me, is fantastic. I like the way it’s all laid out in there. I love the deli section and the wet fish counter. The meat is presented just the way I like it and their wine offering is great. It’s probably not as comprehensive or price competitive as Tesco, but it’s the way I like it. I even love their household section. What’s not to like about Waitrose Essential stuff? Their staff communicate with me one-to-one – I can tell Waitrose like me. So they they get my love back. I think a little of the right music in store would be good and I have offered to help them with that – but anyway!

One particular car rental firm don’t like me. I don’t think I’ve done anything to offend them. I am not even mentioning their name here, but they obviously don’t like me. They do like to keep me waiting if I’m hiring a car. It might be at the desk, it might even be in the garage, because they haven’t finished cleaning it yet (although you wouldn’t notice.) They also like to keep me hanging around when I’m returning the car to the airport – particularly when my flight is departing in minutes. So now I try and avoid their brand at all costs, although it has to be said the others aren’t that much better.

You reap what you sow, do unto others, etc., etc. Whatever that brand feels about me, I am probably feeling about them and vice versa. This definitely works on a client / supplier level too.

Shit, I’ve just thought – I hope this is true for my love life as well?