Brand in Action - What We Learned Together

In September 2025, I presented at the Highbury Preparatory School Business networking breakfast and it was a fun, engaging morning with the joy of people realising that their business has a purpose far greater than the service or product they offer. Simon Grainger, the brand expert, was there and has done the Brand DNA exercise with so many clients, yet expressed how grateful he was that the event 'forced' him to think about his own purpose, values and actions linked to these values.

I started the time together by explaining the difference between marketing and branding using Highbury as an example:

• Highbury has 28 classes, 40 teachers and over 700 years teaching experience
• 11 hectares of estate with 5 sports fields
• 17 sports, over 75 teams and 14 sports tours a year
• A school orchestra with private tuition for 15 different instruments

These impressive stats feature on the website, the brochures, is communicated at the potential parents’ presentations, is included in social media posts and this is the responsibility of the marketing department - who play a big role in building the brand but are not solely responsible for it. Brand building is the responsibility of EVERYONE within your organisation starting with the founder and CEO who must model the vision, mission, and values.

If someone asked me whether they should send their son to Highbury, I wouldn't list the above mentioned credentials, I would tell them a story from when Nic was in Grade R. It was the first term and the inter-house gala was coming up. We phoned the sports teacher, Mr de Beer, to say Nic was scared of the big pool and we weren’t sure whether he would be confident enough to take part in the gala.

Mr de Beer suggested that we come to the school over the weekends, give him a call when we arrive and leave, and spend time in the pool with Nic as a family and this will build up a good memory for him. He then ended the conversation by saying and if he isn’t ready, then he can just play a valuable part in shouting for his House, Acutts. Immediately I knew that it was a school that cared about and understood boys. The morning chaos of boys running and shouting on the fields and getting dirty before school even starts, is what cemented the brand of Highbury in my heart.

Remember, the way your business is represented consistently by every single staff member is the strength of your brand - from the security guard, to the receptionist, cleaning staff, production and systems teams, IT department, finance and sales to HR.

“I believe that success is built on 5% brains and 95% consistency. If you are consistent with the way your brand and messaging shows up in the world, it will always give you an edge.” - Steven Bartlett, Diary of a CEO

Thank you to all the guests for their passionate feedback on their businesses' purposes!

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