The John Griff Column: For whose brand do you stand?

How far are we affected as consumers – or, put slightly differently, how influenced are we by brands, their values and messages?

Although you might not think so, brand matters, matter. For some, brand seems nothing more than the character of a given company embodied within its advertising, corporate colours or maybe a strapline. Some companies have made a virtue from trading on their brand characteristics for generations, promoting their names as being familiar, dependable, honest or solid. While some have done so in the name of fashion, others have ridden a wave of topical trend or even notoriety. Behind closed doors brand is seen as one of the most important assets a business can have. Once established, it is vital to protect it – however faithfully a business trades under the values it puts forward as being part of its core DNA. Jaguar’s current re-branding exercise looks to be a corporate disaster, kicking its own heritage into the long grass through what many have judged to be wokeism – but will the re-branders be proved right? The last fortnight has seen the promotion and delivery of ‘Black Friday’ here. In reality the pre, pre-Christmas sale period has had producers and retailers discounting often end-of-line products in order to clear down for Christmas here or Thanksgiving in the US, and the January sales in both - another bite at the retail cherry, whether on cash or credit. ‘Cyber Monday’ followed this week, with some companies wringing out the last few pounds, shillings and pence of the period, despite seemingly holding a highly tenuous claim to the term ‘cyber’. Pecuniary ‘value’, then.

So far, so good. But an awareness of brand – and brand values - has also become increasingly vital to certain individuals who may or may not live their lives in the public eye. Likewise the people who make a living from working alongside or in support of such individuals. Social media has given everyone an opportunity to portray and promote themselves as being aspirational, inspirational or at least worthy of being followed. Click baiting can be lucrative, so are there brand value compromises going on? How do we know that the person projecting themselves through whatever media really does live their life in the exemplary way that would have us believe that they do? Whose brand might get hurt if they get caught out? How much window dressing is going on? The case and character of TV presenter Greg Wallace is much in the spotlight right now – and inextricably linked to the brand and values of the BBC, much, perhaps, as was the case with Phillip Schofield and ITV a couple of years ago. The US will see a returning Donald J Trump to the White House early next year – will his brand or values have changed when he takes the Oath of Office? Outgoing President Joe Biden has just granted his son Hunter an unconditional presidential pardon for previous misdemeanours after saying publicly that he wouldn’t. Elon Musk is now a presidential appointee – with responsibility for government efficiency. His $56bn TESLA pay package is in dispute which hit the company’s share value – will the same happen to American politics?

Here, last weekend and after a pause caused by Storm Bert, Northampton finally got to switch on its Christmas lights in the recently refreshed Market Square, care of Northampton Town Council. Bang on time and after performances and appearances by cast members from the three major pantos on in the town over the festive season, the switch was thrown and much of the town transformed by thousands of twinkling lights. Throwing the switch was Father Christmas with the town’s Mayor – Councillor Paul Joyce, who on Tuesday did a little transforming of his own by switching from being a Labour councillor, to an Independent one. Whether it will shift the political needle remains for the local electorate to decide next May, but in changing during his mayoral year, perhaps he’s made a statement about his own values and brand to those he represents in the Headlands ward.

What’s YOUR brand? And how do YOUR values stand up to scrutiny?