Mark Jordan 1 v 2 Shaun Rankin
This week Ronaldo was named the most marketable footballer on the planet, narrowly beating his great rival Lionel Messi. Jersey’s lack of top footballers means there’s no like-for-like comparison, but the island does have its own celebrity equivalents: chefs Shaun Rankin and Mark Jordan. So, which one has the most marketability?
To calculate the most marketable chef in Jersey, I’ll use general brand strength measures most businesses should be aware of: brand heritage, brand building (personality and positioning), awareness and recall, online engagement and licensing potential (there are, of course, lots of other measures like accessibility, loyalty, retention, buzz, and so on – most are too data intensive for this, but equally important measures nonetheless).
- Brand heritage: Mark Jordan wins
It’s hard to look beyond Mark Jordan for this even though Shaun Rankin has been one of Jersey’s top chefs for a long time. Mark Jordan’s career has taken him to some of the most revered kitchens in England, says website http://www.greatbritishchefs.com, including La Rascasse, Jean-Christophe Novelli’s The Mill at Gordleton and the Pink Geranium, where he worked for seven years:
Between chefs like Jean Christophe Novelli, Keith Floyd, Steven Saunders and Michel and Albert Roux, Jordan’s colleagues and partners make up a veritable who’s who of fine dining in England.
Shaun Rankin has an impressive CV too, and is arguably more travelled, having worked in top establishments in Chicago, London, Perth, and in some of Jersey’s finest restaurants including Bohemia and Longueville Manor.
Rich histories are vitally important in telling a compelling brand story that allows people to bond with the brand at creation. In Mark Jordan’s case, name dropping works too!
- Brand building (personality and positioning): A draw
Judging by the Twitter photos of his tattoos and his numerous tweets, Mark Jordan is positioning himself as edgy and something of a non-conformist, a clear differentiator in the Jersey market. Of the five dimensions used to define different brand personalities, his would be one of “Excitement – daring, spirited, imaginative, up-to-date”.
Shaun Rankin’s brand personality is one of arguably more “Sophistication – glamorous and charming” mixed with “Sincerity – honest and genuine”. His charity work with Mencap and the excellent Kitchen Inferno fundraiser he fronted for Jersey Cheshire Homes are two good examples.
Crucially, both offer uniqueness to Jersey, are clearly differentiated by their positioning and both have world-class ‘products’, as evidenced by their many awards and Michelin stars.
- Awareness & Recall: Shaun Rankin wins
Both chefs have launched books, have appeared on popular cookery programmes like Saturday Kitchen Live, and they’re both active in the press and on social media. However, since winning the dessert category in the fourth series of BBC2’s Great British Menu in 2009, Shaun Rankin’s star has risen to the extent that he is easily the most recognisable chef in Jersey.
A quick straw poll of people – both foodies and non-foodies – saw Shaun Rankin’s name get an impressive 95% recall. Mark Jordan polled less than 50%. Shaun Rankin’s decision to employ a good PR and branding agency is clearly paying dividends, but so is his hard work in launching new product lines and taking the opportunity to appear on national and local TV.
With honourable mentions to Bohemia’s Steve Smith and Longueville Manor’s Andrew Baird, no other chefs in Jersey currently stand out like these two, and none like Shaun Rankin.
- Online engagement: A draw
This was a close one. Mark Jordan has more overall and personal Twitter followers and has personally tweeted more. A Google search for “Mark Jordan chef” shows 1.42 million results versus 87,700 results for “Shaun Rankin chef” (at 5/12/2014 – and notwithstanding irrelevant results).
However, Shaun Rankin’s Ormer Restaurant has more followers than Mark Jordan at the Beach. Shaun Rankin also shares news from more social media accounts, he has more recent online news items and more LinkedIn Top Skill endorsements. On a Recency & Frequency measure Shaun Rankin would probably win.
Mark Jordan
- Personal Twitter – 3,777 followers
- Mark Jordan at the Beach – 1,307 followers
- LinkedIn – 500+ connections – not too many endorsements for Top Skills though
Shaun Rankin
- Personal Twitter -2,634 followers
- Ormer – Shaun Rankin – 1,507 followers
- SR Don Street Deli – 345 followers
- LinkedIn – 500+ connections – lots more endorsements for Top Skills – everything from hospitality to recipes
(both as at 1/12/2014)
- Licensing Potential: Shaun Rankin wins
The brand building efforts of Mark Jordan seem to have stalled, as he concentrates on the success of his restaurant, Mark Jordan at the Beach.
From Shaun Rankin’s award winning treacle tart, to his SR brand, his pastry deal with Blue Islands, the food range with Cimandis, a week-long pop-up restaurant at The Dorchester and his recent announcement that he’s opening a restaurant in London’s exclusive Mayfair membership club 12 Hay Hill, it’s clear that Shaun Rankin has more licensing potential as a brand. He has clearly capitalised on the success of his award-winning treacle tart and has built a brand with solid foundations for future success.
Jersey is lucky to have two chefs at the top of their game. But there’s one clear brand winner: Shaun Rankin.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the views of employers past or present.
THE JERSEY MARKETER 