Schlumpf Pudding… and what a failed dessert taught me about branding

Brands and people – people probably more naturally so than brands – have a reputation. And unless you’re some super-gifted talent (or a sociopath), you probably care, varying amounts, about what other people think of you. Chances are you also care about keeping that reputation in good stead – or building on it and improving yourself.

When I work with clients on branding projects and we talk about perception and brand values, a story comes to mind that has little to do with business and everything to do with dessert.

Years ago I took a pudding to a garden party at my new boyfriend’s (now husband’s) mates. It was a ‘proven recipe’. Well, until that day – when it came out tasting great but looking utterly rubbish. Like really, really rubbish. It completely refused to set and looked like fruit soup… with runny cream on top.

Shops were shut. No time to start again. So we did the only sensible thing – we gave it a dramatic German name and served it like that had been the plan all along. Born was the Schlumpf Pudding. Smurf pudding, essentially – German-sounding enough to be plausible, weird enough that nobody could call us out on it.

Not a single raised eyebrow. Bowl completely empty by the end of the afternoon. Reputation as ‘quite ok in the cooking department’ intact.

I’ve thought about that pudding a lot over the years, because I see the same thing play out in branding all the time.

Nothing about the product changed. Same ingredients. Same result. What changed was the framing – the name, the confidence, the complete absence of apology. And that alone shifted how people experienced it.

But – and this is the bit that actually matters – it only worked because it tasted amazing. Confidence on its own isn’t enough. The name might have nudged people to try it despite appearances (remember the Fiat Multipla?!) – but the taste was what made them finish it.

So where does branding come into this?

Well, quite a lot actually. Because what happened that afternoon in someone’s garden wasn’t magic – it was positioning. And I see businesses get this wrong, and get it right, every single week.

The quality is almost never the problem. What lets established businesses down is the gap between how good they actually are and how confidently their brand communicates it. That gap is doing quiet, invisible damage – to first impressions, to client decisions, to opportunities that never even make it to a conversation.

Here are three things worth thinking about.

1. Is your brand apologising for itself?

This is subtler than it sounds. Nobody sits down and writes “we’re not sure we’re good enough” on their website. But it leaks through in other ways.

Vague language that hedges instead of commits. A visual identity that looks a bit tired but “does the job”. An About page that lists what you do but never quite says why you’re the right choice. A pitch that over-explains because you’re not sure the work speaks for itself.

The tell-tale sign? You find yourself verbally filling in the gaps – explaining your brand rather than letting it do the talking. If you’re constantly clarifying, contextualising, or qualifying what you do, your brand isn’t carrying its weight.

Ask yourself: if someone landed on your website cold, with no prior knowledge of you, would they immediately feel the quality of what you do – or would they have to look quite hard to find it?

2. Confidence isn’t arrogance – and the difference matters

There’s a version of this advice that makes people uncomfortable. “Just be more confident” can sound like “just pretend to be something you’re not” – and that feels dishonest.

But there’s a real distinction between arrogance and confidence, and it’s worth being clear about it.

Arrogance is overstating what you are. Confidence is simply not understating it.

The Schlumpf Pudding wasn’t presented as a Michelin-starred creation. It was just presented without apology, as a thing that existed and had a name and was entirely intentional. That’s all. We didn’t claim it was the best pudding anyone had ever tasted. We just didn’t tell everyone it had gone wrong.

Your brand doesn’t need to shout. It doesn’t need to claim things it can’t back up. It just needs to stop quietly signalling doubt. There’s a version of your business that speaks plainly, stands behind its work, and trusts the quality to do the rest. That’s not arrogance. That’s just good branding.

The test: read your website copy out loud. Does it sound like someone who believes in what they do – or someone hoping you won’t notice the wobble?

3. You often don’t need a new recipe – just better presentation

This is the one that surprises people most. They come to me expecting a complete overhaul and leave realising that the bones were good all along.

A full rebrand isn’t always the answer. Sometimes the answer is cleaner messaging that says what you actually do, without the waffle. Sometimes it’s a visual identity that’s been refreshed rather than replaced – brought up to date so it reflects the business you are now, not the one you were ten years ago. Sometimes it’s simply the confidence to lead with your best work rather than burying it three clicks deep.

None of that requires starting from scratch. It requires being honest about what’s working, what isn’t, and what you’ve been too close to it to see clearly.

That’s usually where I come in – not to reinvent the recipe, but to help you serve it properly.

The gap between what you are and how you’re coming across

Most businesses I work with aren’t struggling because they’re not good enough. They’re struggling because their brand hasn’t kept pace with them. It was built at a different stage, for a different version of the business, and it’s been quietly undermining them ever since.

The good news is that the gap between what you are and how you’re coming across is almost always smaller than it feels. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re just overdue a proper look at what’s getting in the way.

So – hand on heart – does your brand do you justice? Not just visually, but in the way it speaks, the impression it leaves, the clients it attracts?

If there’s a flicker of “not quite” in your answer, that’s worth paying attention to.

Fancy a chat?

If any of this resonates, I’d love to have a chat with you about what’s working for your brand, what isn’t, and what might be getting in the way.

Book a discovery call here.