Stop talking about quality....

Let's have a little chat about quality because as an industry, we spend an awful lot of time talking about quality. 

If you want a strong brand in this day and age, you can’t build it on quality.

Why?

Because it means nothing and does nothing to differentiate you. So from a brand perspective, it’s pointless.

Quality used to mean something

Back in the day (and I'm talking the 50’s and 60’s) quality actually meant something.

Production standards weren’t anywhere near as high as they are now. Stuff used to break ALL the time.

If you bought a cheap car then it would probably break down every couple of hundred miles. If you bought a better quality car it would last longer, go further, save you the pain and misery of having a breakdown.

But production standards have advanced so much that quality is no longer a meaningful differentiator. It's just an entry level requirement that allows you to play the game. Nowadays it’s expected, it’s a given, it’s no longer a differentiator.

Be different, not better

So many of the marketing campaigns and assurance schemes we have within the industry focus on this. Red Tractor, AHDB, LEAF and of course Quality Meat Scotland talk about how our meat is produced to the highest welfare standards, it’s grass fed, small-batch, hard reared.

These are all features and benefits. They are just alternative ways of saying we’re better - and as an industry we’ve fallen into the 'better' trap.

I’m not saying they’re not important - they are - what I'm saying is that it doesn’t contribute to a strong brand.

If you want a successful brand, you have to be different, not better.

This is where we should focus.

Until next week......