My husband and I do a lot of traveling across the states. It’s becoming more and more common for us to stop at Panera Bread for coffee and to surf the internet. The atmosphere is perfect to relax and quietly catch up on email and research. The connection is free and the coffee and especially the hot chai is awesome! We know what we’ll find when we walk in the door every time, whether it’s in North Carolina, Indiana or Tennessee.
Every town we travel to seems to have an area with the same familiar stores – I’m sure someone will mention the negatives of so much “sameness” – but as we go from place to place the familiar layout makes us feel a certain level of comfort. We’ve found it helps us to relax to see stores we have at home and we know exactly what we’ll find when we walk in.
The big picture here is BRANDING – we know the logo, the colors, the image of the shopping centers. I can spot a Target logo from the highway before I can read the sign. The education has been in the repeated images, the exact same colors, the expectation that it will always have the same look, and that it brings a certain level of comfort, value and satisfaction.
So how are you doing with your branding? Can you pick up any ideas from the local malls and the big department stores? They’re experts – check them out!
