A few weeks ago, I found myself in Lanzarote, soaking up a bit of sun on a much-needed family holiday
We’d nipped out for a few essentials – bread, milk, the usual. The Mrs popped into the shop, and I stayed in the car to soak up a bit more sunshine and enjoy the peace and quiet. So there I was, sat outside the Spar, engine off, windows down, radio on. Not expecting much, just killing time. But then I stumbled across something unexpected – an expat radio station broadcasting right there on the island.
Local news from back home, a few familiar tunes, and a good bit of light-hearted nonsense in between. And what comes on the news? Birmingham bin strikes. Again. Can’t escape it. 2,000 miles from home, sat in a car outside a Canarian Spar, and I’m still hearing about overflowing bins back home. It gave me a good chuckle – just when you think you’ve switched off, something daft reminds you of home.
And right after the bin strike update, this advert comes on: “Call Canary Detect – we are the Leaky Finders!” I kid you not – said in full Peaky Blinder accent. Thought I was going mad. Turns out he’s a plumber and a Peaky Blinder impersonator. Multitalented, this fella. Had me chuckling to myself, but you know what? I bet he does alright. Why? Because he’s memorable. Sticks in your head. Builds a reputation.
And it got me thinking… These little things – the accents, the taglines, the clever wordplay – they’re more than just gimmicks. They’re tools. Ways to connect, to be remembered, to build trust. In business, people don’t always remember the price you quoted. But they do remember how you made them feel. Whether you turned up on time. Whether you did what you said you would. Whether they felt looked after. That’s how reputations are built. Not on clever ads (though they help), but on consistency. Reliability. Doing the basics really well, over and over again.
In the freight game, there’s no room for half measures. You’ve got to be on it. Containers cleared, customs sorted, shipments where they need to be – no excuses. Because if we mess it up, it’s not just our name on the line. It’s our customers’ too.
Anyway, made me smile. A bit of home on the radio, some Brummie banter, and a reminder that being a little different never hurts. So what’s the funniest or cleverest business slogan you’ve ever seen? Hit reply – I’d love to hear it.
Or even better – what’s the one thing you do that gets people talking? Because in the end, we’re all in the same boat. Trying to stand out. Trying to be remembered. Trying to do a job we can be proud of.