It used to be that declaring myself as a Manchester City supporter led to looks of pity and understanding. The same declaration now tends to lead to jealousy, rage and accusations of being a glory hunter, but such is life (I’ll take it for the trophies!)

At City we’re lucky enough to have one of the greatest minds in Coaching, a bald, passionate and (my wife tells me) quite sexy Basque called Pep Guardiola. With the help of an incredibly talented Board (and yes, a lot of investment too), Pep has set a long-term strategy at City that looks set to keep the club at the top of game for years to come, at least I hope so. The club has a vision both on the pitch, for its worldwide profile and impact on local communities too. Keeping that long-term vision in mind helps in short-term decision making too on matters like recruitment for example.

There are other short-term considerations too. Not just within a season (or two) but as little as 90 minutes. What tactics will Guardiola employ to win the next game and the one after that? How does he make sure the team have the best chance of winning the Cup or being top of the league at Christmas?

That’s the same for brands. The long-term strategy sets the vision but the strategy should allow for the management team to react to market-forces or short-term challenges too, particularly in the strange times we’re living in at the moment where impacts such as price increases are unavoidable for many, and that’s where shorter term, tactical promotional campaigns can come into their own.

How are brands helping their customers in the current cost of living crisis other than keeping their prices as low as possible while maintaining quality? There are some great tactical opportunities to support customers at the moment who might be struggling to put food on the table or treat their families to the more fun things in life like a trip to a theme park, holiday break, streaming services or a trip to the cinema.

So, taking inspiration from the bald one, I think now is a great time to put a little Pep into your brand with an effective, appropriate and desirable tactical campaign to attract customers to your brand…