A Strategic Approach To Environmental Branding

A Strategic Approach To Environmental Branding

What s A Branded Environment Without Strategy? TABLE OF CONTENTS Environments That Make An Impact Driving Revenue With Environmental Branding Measuring Environmental Branding Success Maintain Your Environmental Edge Connect With MM MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 2

Imagine this: after perusing a restaurant s sleek and modern website, you decide to pay the place a visit. As soon as you open the door, you re hit with a kitschy look that reminds you of a mid-70 s rec room. Are you in the right place? Sure are the business has just ignored any sense of strategy when creating their physical space. On the other hand, creating an environment that aligns with your brand and design strategies will help you develop environmental branding that s tailored to your business. Five questions to ask when setting up an environmental strategy. 1 What business goals can I meet with an environmental strategy? 2 Who is my target audience(s)? 3 Who can effectively create and manage my environmental branding? 4 How much can I invest in my brand s physical presence? 5 Which environmental tactics make sense for my unique brand? Environmental design is all about setting the mood and making people feel an emotional connection to the place their in. Paul Dunbar, Graphic Designer MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 3

From trade show booths to bathrooms, environmental branding comes in all shapes and sizes. Environmental branding could be something as simple as the interior design of an office or as complicated as an entire structure, but one thing remains the same: it s all about the experience. Here are a few ways to ensure that you make the most of your environmental efforts: Don t abandon your brand When it comes to environmental branding, there s no shortage of creative possibilities; that doesn t mean you should do something cool just for the sake of it. Any environmental branding you utilize should align with your brand strategy and positively contribute to your business goals. Otherwise, you re simply dressing up a space and spending unnecessary cash. Think about the long run Environmental branding often requires a significant commitment of resources and the end result is hard to alter. Creating solutions that are scalable and offer flexibility will ensure that you maximize your investment. When possible, create environmental elements that have multiple uses without making them seem like generic solutions. Merge your messages Keeping your messaging and branding consistent across digital and physical spaces will do wonders for your brand. Doing so provides your target audience with a seamless experience that reinforces their visual perception of your brand. In the end, you ll boost brand recognition by carving out a unique visual niche in the minds of your customers. Don t be afraid to go guerilla Guerilla marketing is all about putting your brand in unexpected places and providing a unique experience for those who happen to interact with it. If your guerilla marketing strategy involves environmental design elements, ensure that both strategies play off one another in harmony so that your overall physical brand presence isn t fractured for the sake of a one-time marketing tactic. MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 4

PART THREE: DRIVING REVENUE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL BRANDING While your environmental branding should initially turn heads, it should ultimately open wallets. When used strategically, environmental branding can boost your revenue in a variety of ways. Four ways to drive revenue. 1 Increase brand awareness Use environmental branding to expose your brand to a group of people that have never heard of it before. By doing so, you can capitalize on the opportunity to create new customers. 2 Inspire action Environmental branding can be used to visually and spatially navigate customers through a branded space. Wall graphics help support your brand positioning, while clear signage guides people along the perfect path. 3 Provide a great experience Whether it s your brand s permanent physical location or a tradeshow, do everything you can to ensure that your environment has a positive influence on prospects and keeps them coming back for more. 4 Build brand recognition A standout environmental branding experience will promote brand loyalty and recognition within your target audiences, which can ultimately lead to repeat business and lifelong customers. Don t put all of your brand strategy eggs into a singular, digital basket. Brick and mortar brand presences are equally as valuable. Crissy Saint, Senior Communications Strategist MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 5

For some, the thought of measuring the effectiveness of their environmental branding can be a bit daunting. By setting up a system that enables you to track your environmental efforts, you ll be able to analyze responses and measure your success. Key ingredients to measuring success. Keep an eye on your company culture Great environmental branding speaks to more than your target audiences it should also have an effect on your employees. Using your environmental branding to reinforce your internal culture will lead to happy employees and, ultimately, happy customers. Talk to your team and see if they identify with the environment you ve created. Seek outside feedback If your environmental strategy aligns with an effective brand strategy, you shouldn t have anything to worry about. However, getting some feedback from your target audience will let you know if you re still on the right track. Use their responses to gauge the effectiveness of your environmental branding by looking for answers that pop up on a regular basis. Break down your brand awareness Strategic environmental branding might be just what you need to put a spotlight your brand. See an updated environmental presence causes an uptick in the awareness of your brand among target audiences. Seek out new customers and see if your environmental branding had anything to do with their newfound interest in your brand. Assess brand recognition Once people have discovered your brand, you want to stay on their radar. Use your environmental branding to make an impression that helps your target audience associate certain elements with your business. By doing so, you ll build up a healthy supply of brand equity. If your environmental branding doesn t help drive repeat business, it may be time to reevaluate and make adjustments. Look for long-term results First impressions are helpful, but they may not tell the whole story. Monitoring the longterm effects of your environmental branding will help you come up with some more complete conclusions. Conduct short interviews or surveys after weeks or months of unveiling your updated environmental branding to gauge people s lasting impressions. MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 6

Environmental branding can be a very beneficial and sometimes essential component of your brand strategy. Brands with brick-and-mortar locations or consistent trade show appearances rely on environmental branding in a big way to connect with their target audiences and provide a memorable experience. Other brands use environmental branding to add a punch to their marketing strategy by doing something different. No matter what your brand uses it for, there are a few essential tools will always be necessary. Public relations toolbox must-haves. Overall marketing strategy Environmental materials are small pieces of a very large marketing puzzle. First thing s first: align your environmental marketing with the big picture to ensure that all strategies are working in harmony. Wordsmiths An intelligent team of well-versed copywriters and content strategists are necessary for the execution of any and all marketing efforts. Arm them with your foundational strategy and objectives. Graphic designers Our world has become one giant visual playground. A team of talented designers will transform your message into jungle gym royalty. Architects Creating physical environments that fit your brand and appeal to your target audience is easier said than done. Skilled architects will help you make the most of any space and create a location that aligns with your brand s environmental vision. Project management Environmental marketing materials require in-depth planning and utilize many different production processes. Having someone that can balance everything (and the budget) at once is essential. MMBRANDAGENCY.COM 7

Connect with MM Brand Agency to strategically approach content marketing. MMBRANDAGENCY.COM HELLO@MMBRANDAGENCY.COM TEL 917 626 8270 1017 NORTH CENTRAL SUITE 1 PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004