Building blocks of branding

I refer to Alan Mitchell’s article (MW February 1). He rightly argues that you need a special combination of skills to be of real value to clients in brand building, but asserts that a marriage between ad agencies and management consultants would produce a culture clash. Mitchell would be proven right in most cases, but there are one or two businesses that are succeeding in breaking this particular mould. Mountainview is one of them.

Solving the problem of culture clash involves creating an organisation with a single-minded focus and a passion for brands where everyone has a shared agenda and shared beliefs. If there is a culture clash it is probably because, from the outset, there were different agendas at play and the goals of individuals assumed much greater importance than those of the organisation.

Whilst the issues facing “consultancies” may be different to, and more complex than, those of management consultants and ad agencies, the benefits to clients and their brands is worth the extra effort.

Thomas Bayne

Chairman

Mountainview