Renee Yeager - July 28, 2009

I didn’t expect to get some insight on the importance of branding while on vacation last week, but there it was staring me in the face. I traveled with my extended family to a beautiful beach community on the east coast. One of the closest shopping areas to our rental house was a plaza where every storefront had the same signage—specifically, the name of the shop spelled out in large, bright blue letters in the same typeface. I’m sure you’ve seen something similar in your own community.  As my husband points out—who also happens to sit on our homeowner’s association board of directors—some locations put restrictions on signage to create consistency and to protect the image of the community.  If I was on the board of directors of this community, I would rethink that strategy.

When I got over my initial negative, emotional response and took the time to look a little closer, I realized that there were some nice shops and restaurants here… all hidden under ugly, boring blue lettered signs. One restaurant, in fact, is a small, but popular breakfast chain we have also have in Phoenix that my family and I go to often. If didn’t know of this place and only saw this horrible sign, I never would have trusted it. As the week went on and I thought more about my experience, I couldn’t help but equate it to that famous saying…you have only one chance to make a first impression. Emotion is a powerful trigger for consumers.  When we have a negative emotional response to something, it will impact future actions—in this situation, whether or not I would shop at one of these stores or take my family to one of these restaurants. In most cases, consumers will act on their first impression of your brand and not take the time to look a little closer. No matter where you are or what business you are in, a negatively represented brand can have far-reaching effects…not to mention a detrimental impact on sales. And, in this economy, every customer and every sale counts.

So, what’s the bottom line?  Simply put, make your brand and image a priority. Create a brand that is meaningful to your customers and that you can be proud of…and then protect it, as well as the visual representation of it.  Oh, and last but not least, if you’re looking for office or retail space, stay clear of locations only offering large, blue lettered signs.  You can do better.