As we head towards the eagerly anticipated Interview episode this week on the BBC's The Apprentice, we take a look back over the series so far.

No matter what the theme or task given every week, the key element that seems to trip up the 2022 contestants this week is the branding.

Event those candidates who specify that they have marketing and communications experience .. though typically they don't necessarily use those words as in true Apprentice style they are much more eloquent than that!

Their errors though are good reminders for good branding:

1. Colours - use those appropriate for the image and the subject.  The infamous wellbeing cruise ship logo started out as a good idea with the up dog yoga position designed to look like the crest of a wave.  Sadly the green and brown colours, which were meant to represent health conflicted, and had they used blues to follow the colour of the water they would have been more successful.
2. Company Name - remember to include it! The same wellbeing cruise ship logo discussed in the point above missed out this key bit of information, the results made the logo seem even more bizarre than it already was!
3. How it reads - take a step back and take a look as if for the first time  The baby food name 'First Time Foodies' seemed like a good choice for their product - until they replaced the double o in the final word with bowls and so had the misfortune of spelling out First Time F**dies.  Not good for any brand, and particularly not one aimed at infants. 
4. Spelling Mistakes - is it spelt correctly!  The animated video game Arctic Explorer had many flaws but missing a C in the first word changed the whole premise, and ultimately was the downfall of the team.
5. What is it - an established brand may have the luxury of being able to be minimal with information, but for most businesses and products, including details and information of what it is are needed.  This was highlighted in the baby food challenge when the contestants didn't include the flavour in a clear and prominent position.

For marketing and branding advice, do contact us to discuss - we'd be very pleased to help!