Strategic branding for ambitious professional service firms.

The University of Cambridge has spent more than 800 years building its reputation. It only takes one story to make people question it.

The recent controversy surrounding the appointment of Professor Jason Arday has generated plenty of discussion about the individual involved and the circumstances surrounding his appointment. I don't want to add to that debate.

What interests me is what the story does to Cambridge.

It feels as though we're becoming increasingly impatient.

We don't just expect information quickly anymore; we expect everything quickly. We become irritated if a website takes a few seconds to load. We skip the introduction to a programme because we want to get straight into it. We play podcasts and voice notes at double the speed because thirty minutes somehow feels like too long. Even when we're watching TV, many of us find ourselves reaching for our phones during the quieter moments.

There has never been a better time to create content.

There has also never been a worse time to sound different.

Every day, businesses publish blogs, social posts, emails, videos and website copy at a rate that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. With AI now sitting a few clicks away, entire marketing campaigns can be produced before you've even finished your morning coffee.

Let's be honest, that's what we're all here for.

Most people don't start a business because they dream of spending their days worrying about lead generation, SEO, networking events or social media algorithms. They start because they're good at something. They have a skill, a service or an idea they believe can help people and make a living at the same time.

Then reality hits.