‘STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES’ – FORREST GUMP.

Branding bonkers. Gump must have seen Enterprise Rent-a-Car’s current UK ad.

BradDavePicEnterprise Rent-a-Car’s long-running television ad campaign uses a couple of ‘salesmen’ known as Brad and Dave. Dave is a weedy little man who continually attempts to Anglicise the loud-mouthed American moron whose name is Brad (well, coming from the good ‘ol USA, it would be, wouldn’t it?). The ad series launched in 2012, and is now back on UK screens – again. Currently, it features some buffoonery with seemingly confused customers looking on. The ad ends with Brad and Dave proudly boasting: ‘It’s UK car hire with US customer service.’ Branding excellence in a campaign? I don’t think so.

I’ll get onto the dangers of using idiotic humour to get attention in a moment, but first I have to state my personal experience with Enterprise. Having hired a van to take me, my wife (a PR consultant) and a shedload of equipment to an event we were organising in York, the Enterprise ‘service’ went from bad to worse. Continue Reading…

This website, like me,
is pretty old now.

As you can tell, I haven't been here for a while. Sorry about that. But the truth is, I've been really, really busy. I'd thought about closing the site down, but then I figured that visitors might still find some of the content useful in building their business or personal brand. So for that reason, I've decided to keep it live for a little while longer. When I have the time, I might even add some new stuff (don't hold your breath for too long though). But for now, please read at least some of the blogs on this page. Who knows? It may just give you a better insight into how strong and successful brands are built. And in the unlikely event you need to contact me, you can do so using my email address:
james at branddoctorconsulting.com. Have a great day.

Brand Doctor: A brief bio.

I’ve spent nearly 40 years in advertising, marketing, design and branding. Starting life as a graphic designer and copywriter, I worked for Top-100 companies. I then progressed to heading up brand consultancies responsible for sales and marketing, branding, corporate identity and advertising for Yellow Pages, Virgin, AVIVA, EMI and British Telecom to name a few.

Throughout the years, I’ve also helped smaller businesses dramatically improve profits through building a powerful brand. (Not-for-profit organisations have seen their donor income increase using my brand approach too.)

I’m also a qualified psychotherapist. How people think and behave is crucial to knowing how to brand a business, and with 15 years of experience in the field of psychology, I'm better equipped than most to deliver brands that connect and engage with customers.

Psychology is a rare ingredient in marketing, but it should really lead the way. My psychotherapy work greatly influences the approach to branding I teach and formed the basis for my international best-selling book Branding Your Business.

‘James gave two consecutive keynotes for the past three years at our annual Indonesian Superbrands Conference. He is a breath of fresh air, bringing clarity and understanding to an audience of 400 senior marketing executives hungry for knowledge of ways to create leading-edge business and branding strategies.

James also gave two brilliant keynotes on the subject of sustainability, in advance of his new book The Starfish Business. He is now a Member of the Board of Advisors, Most Valued Business Indonesia, an exciting new initiative to recognise brands not just for their revenue, but for their social responsibility.

Whenever James comes to Indonesia, his fans eagerly await the latest from the Brand Doctor – and they are never disappointed. Thanks James – and good luck in all you do.’

– Alistair Speirs OBE
Chairman, Superbrands Indonesia
and Most Valued Brands

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