At the 1893 Worlds’ Fair in Chicago, as many as 15 new candy companies introduced caramel-coated popcorn with peanuts. Can you name one of them? Chances are you can, but only one. Cracker Jack!* Why? Well every kid, no matter how old, knows it’s the prize inside. Truthfully, the prizes were never very big, but they were that singular distinction, so critical to every company’s brand success. So, within the confines of the Cracker Jack package (the environment), customers know exactly what to expect in every container they buy - and anticipate a reward for doing so. That is great environmental branding. How is your brand package, not merely your product or service, but your entire visual, cultural, and emotional promise, rewarding your customers? When customers or prospects visit you, do they have a feeling of comfort because you have been so consistent with your delivery? Do they anticipate being wowed with or without the exclamation point? If not, we suggest a brainstorming session to put a prize into your environment.

Start by thinking about how certain places make you feel. We all have favorite places to visit during our leisure hours. For some it might be a café, bookstore, or the library. Others may find comfort at a certain corner of their neighborhood park or museum. Some folks have their favorite club, bar, or tavern in which to relax and find good company. What is it about these places that please you? We are also well aware of places that feel cold and unfriendly - places we avoid if at all possible. Examples may be damp basements, windowless rooms, and areas with poor lighting or tasteless colors. The same is true about scents. Some aromas elicit positive emotions and feelings of well being while others can literally make one feel ill. So obviously the latter are areas or things to avoid.

We furnish our homes and offices to provide an environment in which we can feel good and perform well while being there. Why would a work place or retail environment be any different?

Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks*, has conveyed the idea that the brand’s positioning isn’t about the coffee business but rather the meeting place business. Great coffee happens to be one of the product offerings. It would be foolish to argue about the success of a brand that has more than 6,000 locations worldwide.

A strong brand (power brand) makes an emotional connection with its target audience. It draws out positive feelings and emotions that are congruent with the benefits of its use. Successful "brick and mortar" businesses embrace this concept and create environments conducive to making their customers and employees feel good in their workplace. And, nobody does it better than Disney.

The Walt Disney Company* has brought the branded environment and the brand experience to the highest levels in its corporate strategy and operations. In the Disney Institute’s book Be Our Guest, there is a chapter called The Magic of Setting. In a section called “Setting Delivers Service,” it states that: "---it is vital that settings be designed and managed to effectively communicate and deliver service to customers.” It gives a brief definition of setting as follows: “Setting is the environment in which service is delivered to customers, all of the objects within that environment, and the procedures used to enhance and maintain the service environment and objects.” Of the millions and millions of people who have visited Disney Resorts, few would argue about the wonder, imagination, and magic that surround the brand experience.

Another fine example, not on as grand a scale as Disney, is a progressive community bank in Massachusetts that has invested significantly to build a welcoming new environment for its customers and prospects. Tom Caron, president of Bank of Easton, set out to build a new kind of bank branch for his market that would invite prospects in and offer existing customers a place to enjoy doing business. After surveying numerous customers and non-customers, primarily women, several design ideas consistently emerged.

• Avoid a grand and pretentious appearance (no traditional dark woods or brass fixtures)
• Be classy and spa-like - not exclusive-looking
• Choose high ceilings and lots of angles
• Allow plenty of sunlight in
• Select light soffits, not exposed bulbs
• Use lots of glass enclosures
• Provide areas for private transactions
• Emphasize location - convenient to other frequently shopped businesses
• Have easy access and parking

 

Note the illustration below of Bank of Easton’s new branch office with its two-story atrium entrance and envision its 13-foot high ceilings.

The branch also includes a spectacular community room and a coffee bar within eyeshot of branded signage and brochures. The aroma of always-freshly-brewed gourmet coffee lures customers in and keeps them coming back. Mr. Caron was inspired in part by attending a trade conference breakout session in 2005, led by Kevin Tracey, titled Women: Opportunity # 1. Women are the majority market for banks and financial institutions and Mr. Tracey offered valuable insights on creating environments that cater to women. Tom Caron also studied what Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Oregon, did to build its brand largely “with women in mind.” We suggest that our readers, especially those in retail businesses, study the Umpqua bank story. Much has been written about it in banking and retail studies. The Umpqua Bank brand is a case study of how an institution truly integrates its brand into its customers’ lives. To get a sense of the brand’s essence, visit the Umpqua Bank link following this article.

“Today’s bank branch needs to say more and do more than the branch of the past,” says Mike Dunphy, principal and CEO of Semaphore, Inc. in Holliston, MA, a retail and facility design firm that specializes in financial services. “Customers have become accustomed to great retail experiences. [Bank] customers’ frame of reference today includes Disney, Nordstrom, and the Apple Store. The bar has been raised---” He also notes that “Today’s branch is a powerful opportunity to welcome customers with hospitality and wrap them in a total brand experience.”

Jordan’s Furniture is a Northeast retail legend. The brand has been built over the last two decades largely on the personalities of the second-generation brothers who operate the business and personify the brand like no other furniture store owners. Today, the physical retail environment and the in-store shopping experience are the centerpieces of the brand’s phenomenal success. Entertainment is blended with furniture sales at some locations, and the entertainment alone is the main reason many consumers spend time at Jordan’s locations. For example, beyond beautiful furniture showrooms, one store houses “M.O.M.” Motion Odyssey (3D) Movie Ride. Another is home to a Comcast IMAX 3D Theatre. If that isn’t enough, the Natick, MA store has a replica of New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street at its main entrance. Live shows – appropriate for children – are performed about every 20 minutes. It is no coincidence that Jordan’s sells more furniture per square foot that any other furniture store in America. Visit the featured link (www.jordans.com) for an online tour of their four retail locations.

So what do Cracker Jack, Starbucks, Disney, Bank of Easton, Jordan’s Furniture, and you all have in common? The answer is customers. How you reward them is up to you. Your environment is a great place to make a first impression. What's the prize in your brand's environment?