We had some really good comments on the post around Ian Taylor’s appointment to the NEPO role. I know they often don’t get spotted once the post drops down the list, so we thought it was worth featuring them as a main post here.
Mr Taylor himself said:
“…part of the plan to transform NEPO that I will be leading now will be to consider whether it should have a change of brand. My instinct is that it would not be appropriate to to do so in the current climate but deep down I’m wondering if thats just because I can’t think of a better name. I’d welcome ideas or support for not changing the nameplate…..”
What do we think about NEPO as a name? It’s not elegant, but it is known and it’s not horrible. I would stick to it – I think brand names can be over-analysed. Look at Cillit Bang….and when I worked at Mars, many years ago, we were all convinced in the UK that changing ‘Marathon’ to ‘Snickers’ (stupid name) would be a disaster. No-one would buy a chocolate bar with a name that sounded like ‘knickers’…. Finally the Mars family lost patience and overruled all of us and our expensive market research. Sales immediately crashed by approximately 0.000%. That’s why the Mars family were very rich I suppose and the Mars Purchasing and Marketing management teams weren’t…
Back to the previous post; there were a couple of positive comments about the contribution Ian has made, and then Andy Davies of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium wrote a very eloquent piece about branding and pointed out in terms of his organisation: it is very much a consortium owned by its Members for its Members, with a wealth of good will – something I’ve come to value more than anything else in this job…..our history is in many ways our greatest asset and our name and brand both symbolise it. I can’t see us changing it for the foreseeable…
Back to the comments – there was then some speculation around what I sold on Gateshead market – including one suggestion that I learnt how to flog consultancy at the tender age of 15…if only. Still not very good at that at 50. I will own up to what it was when someone guesses correctly. Let’s just say it was a ‘ spend category’ that the UK pretty much doesn’t manufacture any more. That doesn’t narrow it down very much of course.
