So, I was driving home today, thinking about how I hadn't posted in awhile, and all of a sudden the topic for this post drives past me: a van, brown, 1980-something, with sidelight windows (I'm not sure what the technical term is for these, but you know the ones I'm talking about...those tall vertical bubble-type windows). It wasn't the van, or the windows, for that matter, that caught my eye. Instead, it was a sign in one of the sidelight windows that grabbed my attention, and for all the wrong reasons.
It's not that the sign was bad...it wasn't a beautifully-designed piece, mind you, but wouldn't hit my poorly-designed top 10 by any stretch. The sign simply said "Cleen Windows", in a font that indicated to me that this was in fact the company name. Now, this is normally where I go off on the importance of proper spelling, but I'll save that for another article. Underneath the "logo" was some information, I presume about the services offered, but it was illegible to me for various reasons (knowing your audience and the limitations of your medium is also a topic for another day).
The real problem (and the impetus behind this post), is the fact that the sign had to be read through the dirtiest window I think I've ever seen. We've all been behind cars with rear windows that are almost visually impenetrable, often due to the filthy habits of the owner (I'm lumping both smoking and general uncleanness under the "filthy" umbrella for my purposes here). What I've not seen all too often (to the relief of both myself and the Gross Domestic Product), is the advertising of a service through a medium communicating the exact opposite of the service expectation.
I hope that the reason for me including this article in my blog on branding is obvious, but I'll spell it out just in case.
Your brand is important. It should create an expectation in the mind of the consumer as to the quality of product and/or the level of service that you will deliver. In this case, the reasonable consumer expectation of a company called "Cleen Windows" is not to win a national spelling bee, but to take your dirty windows and make them clean again. If this company cannot see fit to keep their own windows clean, then it is a logical extension that clean windows are not something that the "Cleen Windows" company takes pride in, or is passionate about. From there we can deduce that if they're not doing the best job cleaning windows, then they must be cheaper. You can see already what having dirty windows in the "Cleen Windows" company van has done. It has taken them out of the premium window cleaner market, and relegated them to being a value service.
The moral of the story is, if you want your brand to make you more money (and who doesn't), you have to put it to work for you. You have to ensure that you are consistently communicating your brand in the best possible light for your organization, and be aware of the environmental situations that your brand communications might be found in. Disregarding the way in which the consumer sees your brand undermines the value of your brand, and subsequently the value of the product or service that you are providing.
Do your brand a favour; keep your windows clean.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Excellent topic!
Branding is a huge aspect of one's business. It is the customer’s deciding factor on whether or not they will choose your business. Simply having a sign in a dirty van is seriously turning away a potential sale. Cleen Windows!?! Clean those darn windows!!
If they had a phone number listed somewhere as you were driving, I would have called. "Hi, I was wondering if you get my windows as clean as yours!?"
This is exactly what I’m NOT looking for when I decide on which business I need for a particular service.
And this translates into anything else we see. McDonald's wouldn't start serving old or cold burgers, as their focus is on “Fresh” and “Made For You”. Then again, the golden arch is one of the top 3 most recognized symbols in the world. I think a cross and the Nike “checkmark” are the others.
When I'm walking down an isle in the supermarket, I'm looking for products that stand out. Products that have a well established brand that really excites me. Of course, price is a factor, but if the brand is THAT good, the sale is usually made on impulse. And I mean, on impulse!!
Great article, keep it up. Looking forward to more!
You are quite right about looking for products that stand out. We all do this, some more consciously than others.
Post a Comment