Brands in the balance

I was at Reading Prison last Friday. It was a photocall for Jail Guitar Doors and one of Reading’s two Members of Parliament, Martin Salter (pictured holding a Heritage H-575 guitar, was helping the cause.

When Martin Salter introduced himself to one of the inmates he said, “Martin Salter, as in the scales.” He was referring to Salter scales. But as he was talking to a young offender I’m not sure that this reference would have helped. For all I know Chris, the young offender, was trying to recollect where he may have seen Martin’s scales. I know Salter is still a trading brand but it is one of the companies that used to have a huge advantage when their products were used in many shops to weigh produce and groceries.

NCR (National Cash Registers) would be another brand that used to enjoy this free point-of-sale advantage. Today’s equivalents are things like Streamline, Visa etc I guess.

Kevin Harrington

I’m a UK-based B2B marketing consultant, specialising in strategic advice for SME business owners. I bring extensive hands-on expertise to every client engagement. Senior leadership roles across technology, media, payments, and publishing have shaped my practical approach. Highlights include serving as Chief Marketing Officer at The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact), Chief Commercial Officer at Tungsten Network, and Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide. Over the years, I’ve guided numerous SMEs through transformation and value creation. Helping businesses evolve and thrive is a genuine passion. Practical marketing insights and succession planning strategies are at the heart of what I do, as I believe growing a business’s asset value should be a rewarding and positive journey for every entrepreneur.

See Full Bio