Whatever happened to Berni Inns?

I watched 'Made in Dagenham' the other evening. Loved it. It has everything. A bit of British social history, story of competitive women, nostalgic romance: you name it. Something in particular captured my imagination. The references to Berni Inns. My childhood memories came flooding back: Meals at the Maidenhead Berni. Birthdays, Sunday lunches, Mothers day. Even celebrating my Dad's win on Teasy Weasy's horse in the Grand National. What happened to this household brand? On researching, it appears that the brand was blissfully ignorant on how British culture was changing and in particular how British food tastes were changing. Not moving with the times appears to be its biggest downfall.

This thought process made me consider the question - what makes a successful brand stand the test of time? And this has endorsed my total belief that a brand and business are intimately connected. Brands only continue to be successful if all of the business factors of that brand are lined up and squared off.

I have had the privilege of working with some amazing brands that have lasted the test of time. From the London Stock Exchange to Spurgeons to Johnson and Johnson. I am currently working for a fantastic charity, which started in 1854 that is re-branding - as it recognises it must modernise to survive (more of that in a future blog). They all have something in common: Great leadership that can see trends and have the insight to bring corrective change to adapt and move with the times. Leadership that can see threats from all angles (have you done a PESTEL analysis on your own organisation recently?) and see how to overcome obstacles.

Only once all of those fundamental things are right can a brand then really take flight. When we at ABA work with brands, we are as passionate about the business behind the brands as much as we are about creating great stories for those brands. I would like to think that if we were working on the Berni Inn account now, we would have been working with them and challenging them about the ways they were doing things, and not just creating nice 'stuff' for them.

There's no reason on earth why old brands can't prosper. But they do need to watch their backs.