The Brookes Debate: Is Ramsay a Brand (or a flash in the pan)?

Wednesday, 21 March 2007 at the Royal Institute of British Architects
En Passant in partnership with Oxford Brookes University

H Talk held their inaugural Brookes Debate on 21 March 2007 in partnership with Oxford Brookes University. The debate was aimed at engaging and stimulating discussion with its audience comprising both industry and education attendees, in order to promote learning and development.

An initial straw poll taken prior to the debate commencing showed that 65% of the audience thought that Gordon Ramsay was indeed a brand. However, by the end of the evening the vote had swung against the motion, with 55% of the majority.

Thought-provoking arguments were provided by speakers on both teams, providing a platform to consider what truly makes a brand in the year 2007. In a world where celebrity icons are intermingled with marketing strategies as a matter of course, this was the fundamental issue which divided opinion amongst debaters and the audience alike.