Could a cuddly sheep help YOU find success and happiness?

Those of us who cherish great moments in cinematic history will fondly recall the deep and meaningful relationship Gene Wilder had with a sheep in "Everything you ever wanted to know about sex - but were afraid to ask."

This touching image of domesticated felicity sprang to mind as I scratched around for ways to tell you really MUST try to make it to the event I'm mismanaging in my usual half-arsed way on April 15th and 16th in association with De Montfort University.

By the way, did you ever see “Everything you ever etc.?" For the time it was pretty outrageous.

But I mention the sheep story because at our seminar, James Hammond - The Brand Doctor - will explain how one firm got its customers to have a relationship with sheep – and how it helped build their brand.

You think that’s crazy?

It’s just the beginning. Because then he’ll show you how an idea like that could help build your brand. And he will come up with many more startling examples and show how they can help you, too.

The two day event is called How to build a winning brand in the 21st century. And James won't just talk theory. He will work with you to see how you can build a brand, no matter what your business. I have never met anyone so knowledgeable about the subject - and he has a unique 4-step approach to how you go about it.

Other speakers include Rory Sutherland, former President of the IPA whose talks on TED are almost legendary and Andy Knowles, chairman of the U.K.'s largest design firm who will make you think again about why people buy (and what whopping mistakes many big firms make).

I'll be there in my usual role as Lord of Misrule - plus a couple of other luminaries of whom more in the days ahead.

You will be relieved to know we won't just talk about the relationships you can have with farmyard animals. We will be exploring a much deeper topic. And that is the fact that despite all the hogwash about social marketing, most firms find it so very hard having a relationship with customers.

By the way, if you’re not interested in brand building, just ignore a lot of what I write in the next few weeks – because that’s mostly what I’ll be talking about.

But if you realise that a brand is just about most valuable business commodity you can possibly possess - literally more important than your product - then please pay attention in the back row.

Because my colleagues and I hope to intrigue, entertain and surprise - besides showing you why to succeed today you've got to throw away a lot of old fashioned notions about branding.