The brand strategists’ toolkit: SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis was pioneered at the Stanford Research Institute’s Theory and Practice of Planning group during the 1960s, under the stewardship of Robert Franklin Stewart and Albert Humphrey.

I’m almost ashamed to say the one and only time I’ve used SWOT analysis was around 20 years ago, so I’m scarcely equipped to write a whole article on the subject. Until I started researching this piece, I could fit the sum of my knowledge about SWOT analysis on the back of a postage stamp, or maybe even half a postage stamp.

Having devoted a significant amount of time and attention to reading about the history of SWOT analysis, its applications, its supporters and its detractors, I am no closer to understanding its value as a strategic tool, or to...

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