Whilst on holiday one of the biggest decisions we had to make was whether to buy Moretti or Peroni at the supermarket. In the end Moretti always won. Both brands cost about the same,  taste quite similar and are both ‘authentic’ Italian brands.....so why did we always choose Moretti? Well, it only goes to prove that ultimately brand choices are emotional rather than rational.

I prefer Moretti because I like the picture of the old man on the front. He looks like he’s enjoying his beer and looks like a real Italian. Also it’s to do with rarity. It’s much more difficult to buy Moretti in the UK, whereas Peroni is everywhere. I always associate Peroni with Pizza Express and my local supermarket, so it feels more ordinary. I associate Moretti with being on holiday in Italy and I’ve got good memories of sharing it with friends when the sun is beating down.

These intangible associations are often out of the control of brand managers and are difficult to shift. I guess this makes our jobs as marketers all the more exciting and challenging.

It doesn’t mean that the product quality isn’t important. However, when push comes to shove, our hearts rule our head when choosing brands.

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I  was really surprised at the Kellogg's launch their new breakfast cereal Krave. The website describes it as:

'a crispy cereal shell made of oats, wheat and rice and devilish smooth chocolate hazlenut flavoured centre'

Should they really be launching another chocolate based cereal in this era of healthy eating and childhood obesity? Feels very anti-trend and not particularly innovative. I guess they can get away with it because it appears they're targeting young adults rather than young children. However, in reality because of the taste profile, I reckon that children will become the main consumers.

I'm sure that with enough marketing support it'll do ok. However it can't be good for the overall image of the brand and I don't think it's a positive move for Kellogg's.

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Last week I stayed at Yotel in Schiphol airport, Amsterdam. I arrived very late and needed to get a really early connection. As I  just wanted to get some kip, it was the ideal solution. It also meant I didn’t need to leave the airport.

Yotel was the invention of Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo Sushi. It consists of really small rooms which you can buy in 4 hour blocks. Not exactly a conventional brand extension, but Woodroffe isn’t a very conventional guy.

The interior with its purple and red lighting, plastic moulded fittings  reminded  me of Virgin Upper Class – although apparently the designer worked on BA First Class cabins. For what I needed  it worked really well. Comfy bed, nice shower, lots of different plug connections and free wifi. All a bit cosy, but luckily I didn’t have much luggage.

Not sure they’d be successful beyond airports, but if you’re catching a very early flight, or simply need to kill time whilst waiting for a connection I’d definitely recommend them.

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A week or so, a packet of Dorset Cereals For Kids appeared in our cupboard.  I asked my 11 year old where she'd heard of them and she told me that her friend had got some. Word of mouth in action. I immediately thought that this was quite a surprising move. I can't think of one cereal brand that explicitly brands itself ‘for kids'. On reflection I think that this is a very smart thing for them to do.

The Dorset Cereals brand has huge equity with adults as a wholesome, natural brand, so has real credibility in the eyes of the purchaser. The product seems to be a combination of corn flakes, rice crispies and sugar puffs - all the old favourites. I imagine the kids would really enjoy them and as we all know, they love multi-textured tastes. (Kids often mix up several cereals in one bowl) Not sure how much nutritional value they genuinely contain, but they're certainly proving popular in our household.

The box itself is a source of creativity, containing suggestions for projects and finally there's an initiative called ‘Edible Playgrounds' that encourages school playgrounds to create vegetable plots. Very responsible and very in vogue. Click here for more details

All in all, a strong entry into a crowded market.

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In my attempts to move away from buying expensive and dull Gillette products, I've recently discovered the Italian shaving brand Proraso. Apparently it's Italy's most popular shaving cream and is fantastic. Rich, lathery and made with eucalyptus oil. A real classic. I can also recommend the traditional Merkur razor.  Although expensive to buy, the blades are incredibly cheap and avoids the deep intake of breath that always accompanies a purchase of Gillette blades.

I find you get a lot more satisfaction buying lesser known, specialist brands that have real character. I've even started to enjoyed to shaving, expecially now that I've bought a classic shaving badger hair shaving brush.

You can all of these products at the excellent English Shaving Company website.

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Later today, Andy Murray will play Andy Roddick in the semi finals of Wimbledon. Win or lose, the Fred Perry brand, worn by Murray is sure to get a boost.

In addition, at Glastonbury, Damon Albarn of Blur was also wearing a black Fred Perry shirt during their headline performance last Sunday. Don't be surprised if you start seeing them everywhere this Summer.

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I'm completely underwhelmed by the launch communication for Magners Pear Cider - 'the only fruit that goes into Magners Pear Cider is pears' Is that it? It's like saying the only fruit that goes into orange juice is oranges. At best it's a reason to believe. It's certainly not a brand proposition.

And they take 40 seconds to say it in this irritating ad. Click here to view it. The consumer insight is very weak and there's no motivation to try it. Also I always thought pear cider was called perry.

Will it halt the Magners sales decline? I very much doubt it.

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A lot of my mates are into cycling and the brand they always talk about is Rapha, a brand of kuxury cycling clothing. They always complain about how expensive it is, but it doesn't stop them buying it.

I think its a fabulous brand that has spotted the opportunity to make cycling clothing fashionable. Click here to view their website.

Cycling is clearly on the up. Its a cheap way to travel and an easy way to stay fit. Go to Richmond Park on a Sunday morning and you'll see literally hundreds of cyclists in their roadbikes and lycra - most of them 40 something blokes with very expensive bikes and enough cash to spend on cool clothing.

Rapha is a very ambitious brand and is looking to conquer the world, as witnessed by this article in the New York Times. With the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France just around the corner, the brand will no doubt receive a boost -  particularly as Lance Armstrong is back racing again.

 If you looking to buy a birthday present for a style conscious cyclist then I suggest you take a tour of the Rapha website. Guaranteed to make his mates green with envy.

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