1. “A map is not the territory it represents, but if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for  its usefulness.” (Alford Korzybski)

2. “A good map is both a useful tool and a magic carpet to far away places.” (Anon)

3. “The world can doubtless never be well known by theory: practice is absolutely necessary; but surely it is of great use to a young man, before he sets out for that country, full of mazes, windings, and turnings, to have at least a general map of it, made by some experienced traveler.” (Lord Chesterfield)

4. “A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” (H. Stanley Judd)

5. “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” (Earl Nightingale)

Borrowed with pride from all over the place.

Today The Value Engineers ran a coffee morning to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. We’re still enjoying stuffing our faces, and it’s guilt free because its all in a good cause…

Yet again, we had the honour to talk to The Grocer magazine and comment in this week’s edition on new UK guidelines on product placement. See below what our Director of Closeness, Anna Eggleton, has to say:

1. “It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” (Anon)

2. “Adventure is just bad planning.” (Roland Amundsen)

3. “We always plan too much and always think too little”. (Joseph Schumper)

4. “The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well.” (Sir William Osler)

5. “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” (Peter F. Drucker)

Borrowed with pride from all over the place.

In this series of posts I aim to bring to light off-beat stories from the world of marketing, ranging from serious successes to downright abysmal failures. This week at the risk of getting stuck in a rut, I want to tell you about another brand that has caught my attention. It’s called “The Brown Corporation” and it sells “lightweight portable cardboard toilets”. This might sound like a joke but I think it’s another example of the marvel of marketing and branding.

Intrinsically their three products are glorified Kleenex boxes lined with bio-degradable bags. But if that’s all there was to it, I’d like to think they wouldn’t be able to charge over £15 per unit. So where does the value come from? Admittedly, the unmet consumer need they’ve struck upon is a real one and there must be legions of festival-goers and adventurers who are grateful that they will never again have to take Lawrence Oates’s famous last words in vain. But above all, I think they grant themselves the right to a premium by having a personality and expressing the kind of blatantly provocative humour their target will identify with. Everything they do is on-brand. Just take a look at their website and their product names: the standard “Shit Box,” a “Little Jack’s Box” for kids and the more P.C. “Ploo” whose design is safe enough “to show your mum”.

The brand is just brimming with humour and is clearly positioned at people who are willing to take life a bit less seriously. And ultimately it’s that extrinsic value of the brand as much as the products themselves that consumers will love and open their wallets for.