1. Survival essential
Making a shelter, finding food and attempting to escape are going to be high on your agenda -- so which brand will you find most useful in your attempt to tame the great outdoors?
Mole Valley Farmers would be my choice because it stocks everything an outdoor survivor could desire. It is the farmer's, camper's, hiker's dream store. Its stock includes animal traps, snares and excellent outdoor clothing -- I hate being cold. Having access to this brand would ensure I'd be equipped for every eventuality.
2. Last taste of civilisation
The island has a plentiful supply of nuts and fruit, not to mention a healthy population of fish, so you will have plenty to eat. But which one food brand are you really going to miss from your old life?
Waitrose would be the brand I'd miss for the taste of civilisation as I think it is the best brand for sourcing "top quality" home-produced meat and other delicious goodies which have been grown and handled with sympathy and care.
3. Best reminder of home
Successful survivalists always claim that it is mental attitude which sees them through. Belief that you will get back home is going to be vital -- so which brand will sum up home best?
The Daily Telegraph would have to be my choice. It is such an enjoyable and intelligent read. It is well written and entertaining but it can be quirky and witty. It speaks out and represents not only the majority view, but the minority. It also represents and seems to care about one of my great passions -- our beautiful and much threatened rural England.
Good writing, good debates and standing up for what you believe in are all qualities I love and would miss about home.
4. Most welcome online brand
Eventually you manage to rig up your own connection to the internet using bits and pieces found on the beach but you have only one chance to log on to a website before it goes down -- which online brand will you choose?
Lastminute.com would have to be my online choice as it would enable me to dream of other destinations such as restaurants I could eat at, vineyards I could explore and cities I could wander.
I have always believed that dreams are travels for the soul.
5. Ultimate luxury
Self indulgence is hard to come by on a desert island, so what brand would you be most excited to find washed up on the beach?
I love cashmere -- it provides warmth and comfort. So, I think a beautiful piece of cashmere clothing from Bora would be my ultimate luxury brand.
6. Transferable skills
You already work in the jungle of marketing so there are probably skills which you have acquired through your job which will come in handy -- or you may have other hidden talents. Which of your personal skills will help you to get to grips with life on a desert island?
The transferable skill I have learnt since living in Somerset is making baskets, fences, roofing, etc from willow and other types of wood. So, it would be my "withy" skills I'd like to apply because I could then build shelters, sculptures and useful items to make my stay on the island as comfortable and aesthetically pleasing as possible.
Adrian Whitefoord, founding partner of Pemberton and Whitefoord, comments:
Mole Valley Farmers is not a brand I was familiar with, however a quick look on its website confirmed Elly's choice to be a good one. They sell an incredibly diverse range of products, from wellies to agricultural buildings. The only snag is that most of their clothing seems to be very much geared to the dismal climate of Blighty rather than the tropical heat of the desert island. Their selection of loincloths for example is highly disappointing.
Shopping in Waitrose always seems to end with more treats in the basket than shopping most other food retailers. It's tasty morsels would clearly be missed by Elly but armed with her traps and snares from Mole Valley Farmers I wager she would soon have a bamboo larder full of jungle critters.
Naturally there are no newspapers on the island but there is an alternative form of communication which is very popular. The local witch doctor is tattooed over every square inch of his body. The tattoos illustrate great events in the history of the island and make fascinating viewing, but one word of warning, he can become overzealous when it comes to displaying the area depicting the slaying of the giant sea serpent.
There should be little need for daydreaming about "other destinations" and "restaurants to eat at". The island has some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet and some of the most remarkable food (if you know where to look). I would suggest Elly put on her cashmere cardie and visit the cooler north of the island where she will find the "Wondingo tree" or "Tree Of Vitality" as it is known. The fruit of the tree is absolutely delicious and highly nutritious. A single fruit contains 100% RDA of every vitamin and mineral needed to sustain a human, unfortunately it smells disgusting. The natives call the fruit "Ungalingo" which roughly translated means "tastes good but smells like a baboon's armpit".
Developing Elly's skills making baskets, shelters and fences from various woods would be a practical and absorbing way of passing the time. You could even say that Elly is branching out... sorry.
Q&A supplied by design consultancy Pemberton & Whitefoord.
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