Monday, September 20, 2010

The New Art of Branding: Soft Branding

We recently came across a series of articles written by Senior Principles at MulvannyG2 Architecture for VMSD that spoke directly to our minds and our hearts because it felt so familiar to us, like a warm chocolate chip cookie. We have collaborated with many successful clients over the last several years that have moved in this new direction of "soft branding" in one facet or another. The brands that connect personally, exude a sense of community, and allow you to expand the way you work, play, interact, are the ones that are and will continue to hold their own. Consumers rarely want to be bombarded with highly branded messages these days, they want to feel connected with, like they are people, not a sales figure. While these concepts hold true to all aspects of a brand, we will be referring specifically to the message conveyed by the aesthetics of the space ie. retails stores, restaurants, hotels, etc.

In the articles for VMSD, it is pointed out that a possible reason for this branding shift is the participation of the Gen Y and Gen X consumers in the market at the same time. Due to this, an approach is needed that will satisfy Gen X, as well as play to Gen Y's current lifestyle and evolve as they evolve. Gen X has always been attracted to authenticity and community involvement, while Gen Y, tired of being bombarded by high branded messaging, is also being attracted to this approach. The articles point out two different methods, soft branding and de-branding. While either seems to work depending on the company, we see soft-branding as being a more honest approach, and thus, more over-arching in acceptance to the consumer.

De-branding is just that, eliminating all elements of the brand, and allowing it then become completely custom. An example from the article of this is Starbuck's new concept, 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea built in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The whole focus of this new location was to create a true independent coffee house in look, feel, and product, while utilizing Starbuck's corporate budget. This is, more than likely, a test run to see how the market reacts to this one location, before they introduce more. This specific example is one main reason while we feel this approach may not be the best to appeal to a market that may be turned off by perceived authenticity. It feels like one thing, but it's still a Starbucks.



 
The other concept, soft branding, allows for flexibility with certain elements of the brand, while still retaining the brand as a whole. Soft branded companies tend to have very well thought out branding formulas but they still allow for customizing with those certain elements so that each location feel boutique or indigenous. A great example of a soft branded company is Anthropologie. While their brand message is clear throughout all of their locations, each store has a unique layout as well as a dedicated design team that focuses on store fronts and displays to make each store unique.



We have used the idea of soft branding with several of our clients and find ourselves suggesting it more and more in this changing economy. One industry we find it particularly applicable to is restaurants. Many times, a restaurant opens with a gourmet chef, focuses on unique menu choices, a personal atmosphere, and the idea of expanding feels detrimental to their business model. Often "chain restaurants" lack that personal touch. Soft branding is a way to allow for expansion without losing that key ingredient that makes a boutique brand successful: personal touch. Even McDonald's, the epitome of the chain restaurant, is introducing the idea of soft branding into their current design. We mentioned this before, that their new design approach is a more high end, lounge feel, with 8 different overall designs so that not every location looks exactly the same and they can appeal to a broader clientele.

This approach doesn't stop there, we've proposed it for retail clothing stores, banks, gas stations, hotels, offices, you name it. The need for personal touch is happening everywhere and can be implemented into any business model.