Obviously, in good restaurants, the food is great because of the craft skills of the chef and the quality of the ingredients.
However, when I was a graduate working in pretty decent kitchen, the head chef was humbly honest.
She said it tasted better because they add levels of salt and butter few dare to at home.
That's a little like strategy.
You can't do the job without decent ingredients or craft skills.
Deep knowledge of market, brand, product, audience, context, culture (in my opinion) solving a well honed problem.
All put into a key task, sanded down so it gleams.
But without lashings of butter and salt: imagination, an idea not a process you have ticked.
Without the seasoning that gets everyone excited.
You have correct, but unremarkable blandness.
People won't care.
Not your colleagues or clients, who decide on emotion, whatever they tell themselves.
Not real people out in the world filtering out most of what they see and experience.
Who buy on feelings more than facts.
Salt gets the blood pressure up, it gets the heart racing.
Butter adds richness and depth.
That's not so great for long term health in cooking.
For long term brand health, it's essential.
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