Brand differentiation by design

During one recent afternoon, we experienced a demonstration of the power of emotion and the human need for affiliation. By design.

A visit to our local Starbucks found a line out the door. People waiting while doing their Holiday shopping to buy the new seasonal blend of coffee or a latte, and to enjoy a bit of personal time for themselves. It was obvious this particular Starbucks served as an oasis from the shopping hordes, as every perch point in the place was occupied.

We witnessed the importance of design and environment in framing successful brand/consumer relationships — often of more value than advertising.

Store design is an essential part of a fully integrated brand differentiation strategy and the ability to own the conversation. The goal is to provide a spatial context to generate emotional connections, to demonstrate how a relationship with the brand enhances the life of the consumer. The challenge is to “dimensionalize” the brand — what the brand is, its reputation, point-of-view and aspirations — and use these environmental and sensory touchpoints to support the brand promise you wish to communicate.

Good design supports development of consumer/brand relationships by exposing deeply rooted emotions through shape and color, and latent association with human senses such as smell and sound. There is an opportunity to differentiate a brand by making design, lighting, audio, display, finish and other in-store elements work intelligently to stir consumer emotions at the point-of-sale.

Just as the script of a feature film is critical to box office success, so is store and product design important to effective branding. As any accomplished interior architect or designer will tell us, great design addresses basic human needs, attracting the equivalent of members to a club by projecting inclusion and the opportunity for affiliation.

At Starbucks, a relationship is sold with every latte, an implicit membership to the club. By design.

Brand differentiation by design - To learn more about this author, visit Steve Cranford's Website.

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