When I was asked to write this post I should have been jumping up and down with joy as The Apprentice is one of my all-time favourite TV programmes. However over the past couple of weeks I have been concerned as the show has become boring.
This week I was a little more optimistic though as the task was about branding a new pet food. It interested me because as a kid I grew up with Fonzie the cat and I now own two dogs Rocky and Archie.
I was pleased to see Vincent and Glenn were made PMs for this task. I really wanted to see if Vincent had any substance to him or if he is just another candidate looking for media work after the show, rather than wanting to become a hard working entrepreneur. Let's face it, if he was a dog he would lick himself to death as he loves himselfso much. As for Glenn he’s a gobby chappy so I looked forward to seeing how he copd under pressure.
With comments by Glenn like "I am the PM and I am better then all of the rest of you” and "no nuts no glory" (one of the quotes of the series so far) this strangelyinstantly got me gunning for Vince who I have wanted off the show since day one.
However it did not take long for me to be irritated by lover boy Vincent when he had the luxury of being given access to the most respected people in the pet food industry, and yet in classic Vince style he just chose to ignore their sound advice.
Back to Glenn's team, I really liked their choice of 'Lucky Fish' as product name. Wwith the right advert and packaging I think he could had been great. I did laugh when during their meeting Karen was sitting there with cats rubbing up her black stockings! Full marks to the cameraman for bringing it to our attention!
Glenn, I think the words you were looking for when you are project manager is that you have to EARN your respect. He believes that once you have been asked to become PM it means all others have to respect you and the PM does not need to listen to anyone else.
I thought the product name 'Catsize' was pathetic but when we finally got to see the finished product I was surprised by how good Catsize looked. You could easily picture it on supermarket shelves. I am now starting to think Glen does have some substance to him as let's face it he did this task singlehandedly.
Vincent’s product looked week and lifeless although unlike many others I thought the name 'Every Dog' was strong and had mileage in it; I guess that’s why I am not in marketing!
My first thought when it came to making the TV adverts was if you want a lady’s voice for the voice over why employ a man?! Glenn’s team pitch came across as lifeless and amateur and it was painful and cringe worthy to watch.
I never thought I would say this but I am felt sorry for Vince. His advert was really good, the dogs were great, the whole thing looked professional and the pitch worked; it's just a shame that the product name was weak. If he had just listened to the experts he would have sailed through this task .
Back to the boardroom it was good to hear Lord Sugar making some of his one-liners. I am looking forward to more head-to-heads with Jim; he’s looking like he’s up for some action!
In the end the right two got fired (Vince and Ellie). I could not see them going any further in the show.
I do fear for the programme though. The best parts are Lord Sugar, Karen and Nick and the tasks are becoming like Groundhog Day. I do believe there still is a future but it needs to be more in tune with current times. If you have the backing of Lord Sugar to the tune of £250,000 it’s easy to build a new business but to the average person who watches the programme it’s not so simple! I would also like to see the candidates having it a little harder and not living in a multimillion pound house. What about the residential version of the Bridge Café and making them use London transport like the rest of us?
Jason Shifrin is the author of 'Money, Money, Money!' (out in July, John Blake Publishers).
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