May contain artificial brands

Nearly 3 years ago, in the midst of the global recession, grocery retailer Tesco launched a range of products with their own brand names, with innocuous names like Daisy washing up liquid, Creamfields dairy products and Country Barn cereals.

With the launch of Tesco's Yoo yoghurt brand this week, it would appear it's not just a combative marketing offensive for the credit crunch, but a long-term strategy for Tesco to steal market share from big brand name competitors.

The new Yoo brand yoghurt range is designed to take on the might of Muller and Danone with Tesco claiming Yoo products will be 20% cheaper. But are artificial brands really good for brand loyalty and shouldn't retailers like Tesco be investing in their own brand rather than an artificial name?

Customers want honesty and transparency from retailers, not further choice and confusion in an already oversaturated marketplace.

William Smith doesn't shop at Tesco.

Is the Big Society brand in the bargain bin?

I hope not.

According to British Prime Minister David Cameron, the aim of the Big Society is to "promote community empowerment, open up public services and encourage social action."

But it’s easy to see why so many people view the Big Society brand merely as political packaging for extensive budget cuts and huge job losses in post-recession Britain.

But that’s not how we should view it. Take politics out of the equation. With an unstable economy and doom and gloom on every corner, this is a chance for people to start thinking about themselves and others. Becoming more social; more open, more honest. You don't have to give up your time and start charity work. Just get to know your neighbours and rediscover what it means to be a community.

It’s why Rachel Botsman is championing Collaborative Consumption and why Arthur Potts Dawson launched The People’s Supermarket.

Sure, the Big Society is about being collaborative but it's also a huge opportunity for all of us to be more entrepreneurial. Treat your life like a start-up business and start thinking big.