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You don't need me to tell you the story of Pret a Manger. Two young graduates, frustrated with the lunch options available to them in London, borrow pound 25,000 in 1986 to set up a cafe. It eventually thrives and gradually the Pret chain takes over London and then the rest of suburban Britain.
The branding behind Pret a Manger is a solid lesson to any marketer on how a relatively bog standard positioning - quality, fresh and handmade - can come to life when you commit to brand-consistent, but category-defying execution.
Take the group's HR policy of asking all its job applicants to complete a one-day trial so that their suitability to deliver a quality, handmade service - or Pretability as they call it - can be assessed and only the best triallists are given a position.
Or the brave decision to prepare most of their food on the premises rather than saving money on a central production factory, where the brand's fresh, handmade credentials would have been undermined.
Best of all is Pret's advertising strategy. Or, rather, lack of. Despite its status as one of the country's most trusted brands, Pret a Manger does not advertise. And the reason for that is very simple - it does...