Notes

On a different note.

Thinking, perspective and provocation on strategy, story and what it takes to make complexity communicable.

HARPP ReportResearch report — August 2026

The Case Study Gap

Why strong work so often becomes weak proof — and what 104 businesses reveal about doing it better.

HARPP ReportSector analysis — August 2026

The Invisible Giants

Why professional hygiene loses its most valuable story somewhere between the laboratory and the purchase order — and what the strongest brands do differently.

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004Narrative — August 2026

Different logo. Same sentence.

Most businesses are more different than they sound. But when complex capabilities are compressed into safe category language, real differences disappear. On brand narrative, the cost of sounding interchangeable and why differentiation starts with a point of view, not an inventory.

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003Strategy — July 2026

Made locally. Just in case.

Farnborough is an air show in much the same way that Davos is a ski resort. The description is accurate, but misses most of the business. On sovereignty, local manufacturing and the gap between what a complex business says it makes and what its customers actually value.

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002Strategy — July 2026

What EE understood about bringing strategy to life

On Wednesday, as England prepared to play Argentina, EE made mobile data free for its Pay Monthly, PAYG and SME customers across the UK. It was reported as a generous customer offer. It was also a rather good demonstration of what strategy is supposed to do.

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001Strategy — July 2026

A Remarkable Business, According to Slide 47

A brilliant business with an ordinary story is still likely to be treated as an ordinary business. It doesn't seem fair. But then markets aren't known for taking the time to get to know you properly.

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Occasional notes from HARPP.